2020 SRC Orientation & Countercourse Handbook

2020

ORIENTATION & COUNTERCOURSE HANDBOOK

ORIENTATION HANDBOOK pages 2–32

COUNTERCOURSE HANDBOOK pages 33–50

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO FIND YOUR FEET AND SETTLE INTO THIS RIDICULOUS CLUSTERFUCK

YOUR RADICAL GUIDE TO STUDENT ACTIVISM AND THE EXCITING TRADITION OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE

STUDENTS’ REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL, UNIVERSIT Y OF SYDNEY STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY The University of Sydney Students’ Representative Original People from communities in rapidly gentrifying Council (SRC) acknowledges that we gather and plan on Redfern, including most notably with the redevelopment the stolen land of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. of The Block as student housing.

The Gadigal people were one of the first to experience violent dispossession and colonialism. The University of Sydney has been overwhelmingly complicit in this process.

It demanded, from its very inception, space for itself that was necessarily stolen. It gave moral and intellectual authority to that demand and the early colony, helping— among other sins—to establish the colonial modes of thinkings and knowledge which excluded and condemned Indigenous practices. It produced racist anthropological research, cleared the multi-racial, working class neighbourhood that used to make up the Darlington campus, and has produced generation after generation of political elite perpetuating the colonial regime. Even now, student and University demand has displaced our PAGE 2

Because of this complicity, and our broader obligations to make the world a better place, the University of Sydney, its students, and its representative organisations must fight to improve the conditions of our Original Peoples.

We must all fight to achieve genuine sovereignty for Original Peoples, where they have ultimate control over their lives and their environment. This is particularly true for the SRC, the publisher of this text; we must amplify Indigenous voices and centre Indigenous activism in all that we do.

Sydney University, Warrang, and all of so-called Australia, always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.

WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

1 IMPORTANT 2 CONTACTS HOW TO CENTRELINK 4 ACADEMIC APPEALS 6 SEXUAL ASSAULT 8 DISCLOSURE HOUSING 9

CAMPUS MAP

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

CLUBS & SOCIETIES FACULTY GUIDES COLLECTIVES WHAT IS THE SRC? CONTRIBUTORS

10 12 14 15 25 26 31

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME! Welcome to the University of Sydney, Australia’s most prestigious administrative nightmare. My name is Liam Donohoe, and I’m the 92nd President of the USyd Students’ Representative Council.

The SRC will be a useful and essential companion throughout your time here. We’ll be there to offer useful advice when you’re having troubles with University administrative process, like getting some extra time to finish your assessments, making sure you’re enrolled, getting the University to recognise study at other institutions, and anything else in between. We’ve also got a free legal service, so if you’re having trouble with parking or traffic offences, drug or criminal matters, or issues with migration, your tenancy, or your workplace, we can help you out. Over the year you’ll probably also see our other publication, Honi Soit, the only weekly student newspaper still printed in this country (and the best!), and by the end of the year we’ll be running our new food bank, which will provide free food to students in need.

But the thing for which we’re most famous is our activism. We’re a student union, meaning we bring together and advocate on behalf of students on all sorts of matters.

We’ll work with the University if we think they’re genuine about making the changes we want to see, but we’re also happy to hit the streets to register our dissent publicly and adversarially where we think it’ll help. But we don’t just stop at student rights or student issues—we advocate for all the oppressed, not just because many of them are students, but because we have the power and therefore duty to make a difference.

I’m sure at some stage during your Uni days you’ll see us on Eastern Avenue raging against the machine—all are welcome to join.

Before I sign off, I wanted to offer a few pieces of advice. Though we’re always growing and developing over time, your first 5 years out of high school / at University are often a time of significant transformation. You will see, in the first instance, a transformation of your mind. You’ll have more information at your disposal than ever before, and you’ll develop sharper critical thinking skills. But, as great as those things sound, you’ve got to ask yourself, do you really want to be here? Do you have to be? We’re constantly made to feel as if University is an essential prerequisite for a happy life; the truth is, often the opposite is true. Only you can know if Uni is right for you, but if you’re feeling uncomfortable there’s no shame in asking yourself whether it’s right for you.

But if you do think it’s right for you, then push your learning as far as your capacity will allow you. Most of us are paying for this education in one form or another, and I regret every lecture and tutorial I’ve missed. At risk of sounding like a teacher, 5 years of Uni has taught me you’re better off handwriting notes, starting assignments when you get them, and constantly asking questions—but try not to take up too much space, especially if you’re a cis-male. And try to see if the library has your textbooks before forking out hundreds of dollars on them!

The second transformation you’ll be undertaking is a transformation of yourself. You will have all sorts of new experiences. You will feel greater elation ever before, but also greater loneliness. You will have moments of liberating freedom and self-expression, which will be cut down by feelings of alienation and mediocrity. You will start to take up more responsibility, experience new loss and disappointment, and even start to notice yourself ageing. Your personality will undoubtedly change in the process. But all in all, the coming years have the potential to be the greatest of your life; with care you can manage the lows and maximise the highs. For one, the SRC is here for you whenever you need us—email help@src.usyd.edu.au and our professional staff will do their best to help you out.

But beyond this, there are things we can do to help ourselves and our friends, and many of these things are essential and inherent duties of being an adult. The advice here is cliche, but wise in that way only cliches can be: make to do lists and track your obligations, push yourself to exercise, eat well, and get a decent amount of sleep, and try to impose some semblance of structure onto your life. I implore you, as much as possible, to channel the change and adversity around you into something you understand; to ensure that you are always growing and becoming a more complete version of who you want to be. This isn’t going to be easy. In fact, it’s the single hardest thing any of us have to do, and the fundamental challenge of our lives, particularly for those oppressed by our society. But it’s a task that life will force onto you if you don’t get to it first, and one that will transform you into an adult. It’s up to you whether you become the adult you want to be.

There is one final transformation you’ll be a part of in the next 5 years—that of the society in which you and your university are embedded. For one, your personal or intellectual growth is totally inseparable from the world around you; you have no choice but to be in the world. But it the relationship is not one-way, but a feedback loop, though we may forget it. There is a lot about this world that needs changing, and students are well-placed to achieve it. We stopped conscription during the Vietnam war. We pushed back against cultural norms and oppressive structures, and have achieved some relief for the oppressed. We succeeded in our fight for same sex marriage, to stop fee deregulation, and to make Universities own up to endemically sexist cultures. And this year we will continue this rich tradition, mobilising to transform our University to make it work for students, to transform society to make it fairer, and—most visibly—to create a system which allows our planet to survive and the humans on it to thrive.

You are most welcome to participate in this transformation with us, and in the process develop your mind and intellect in the very way I outlined earlier. Feel free to reach out to me or the SRC at any time, whether you need our help with your transformation, want to help us transform the world, or just need someone to talk to.

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

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IMPORTANT CONTACTS

GENERAL SECRETARY LIAM THOMAS RUNS THROUGH SOME OF THE IMPORTANT CONTACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW DURING YOUR TIME AT UNIVERSITY

MENTAL HEALTH

HEALTH

eHEADSPACE

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY HEALTH SERVICE

Provides free, online counselling and telephone support, with the option to text as well as call (available 9am-1am, 7 days a week). https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/

HEADSPACE CAMPERDOWN Headspace centre located near campus that provides mental health, GP & sexual health services for people under 25. To find a Headspace centre closer to where you live, visit https://headspace.org.au/headspace-centres/ Level 2/97 Church St, Camperdown Ph: 9114 4100.

This service is located on Level 3 in the Wentworth Building and offers bulk-billed appointments with doctors five days a week for students and staff. If you have a Medicare card or are covered by Allianz OSHC these appointments won’t cost you anything out of pocket! During peak times the service can be a bit hard to get into so if you urgently need to see a doctor (i.e. for a medical certificate) we recommend you look online and find your nearest bulk billing GP! https://sydney.edu.au/students/health-services.html Level 3, Wentworth Building, City Road, Darlington Campus Ph: 9351 3484

UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY COUNSELLING & PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES (CAPS) This is the University run counselling service.

Conveniently located on campus (Level 5 of the Jane Foss Russell Building) however, it is often booked out and there is a limit to how many sessions you can attend. https://sydney.edu.au/students/counselling-andmental-health-support.html Ph: 8627 8433

YOUTHBLOCK YOUTH HEALTH SERVICE Free, safe and confidential support, counselling and health services for young people under 25.

Has a specialist Aboriginal Health Officer. It’s located on Redfern’s Abercrombie Street, right next to campus!

Ph: 9562 5640

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LEICHHARDT WOMEN’S HEATH Provides health care, counselling and health education to women and girls living in Sydney’s inner west, inner-city and southwestern suburbs.

55 Thornley Street, Leichhardt Ph: 9560 3011

SEXUAL HEALTH RPA SEXUAL HEALTH CLINIC

a[TEST] Fast, free and confidential rapid HIV and STI testing service for men who have sex with men.

No medicare card required. Conveniently located on Newtown’s King Street. It can be a bit hard to find from the street but the door is just down from Clem’s, opposite the Cooper’s Hotel, head up the stairs and you’re there!

222 King St, Newtown You can book an appointment online at https:// endinghiv.org.au/test-often/book-a-test/

FINANCIAL HELP UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY FINANCIAL SUPPORT SERVICE Located on campus on Level 5 of the Jane Foss Russell Building. They can provide interestfree loans of up to $1000 for domestic and international students. They also provide bursaries (money you don’t need to repay don’t need to be paid back) to full-time students experiencing financial difficulties, however, these are sadly only available for domestic students. https://sydney.edu.au/students/financial-support.html Ph: 8627 4809 Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building, Darlington Campus

SCHOLARSHIPS OFFICE

Provides free and confidential STI and HIV testing with no Medicare card required, so anyone is welcome. Located right next to campus, just off Parramatta Rd near Nandos.

Queer friendly!

The University’s Scholarships Office offers a number of scholarships, including ones for students with financial difficulties, for both domestic and international students. You can look through the range available on their website or give the office a call!

16 Marsden St, Camperdown

https://sydney.edu.au/scholarships/

Ph: 9515 1200

Ph: 8627 1444

WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

SAFETY

LEGAL HELP

If someone’s life is at risk please call the emergency services on 000 CAMPUS SECURITY

SRC LEGAL SERVICE

If you feel unsafe on campus, or there is a medical situation (not life-threatening) that needs attention you can call campus security.

Available 24/7.

Ph: 1800 SYD HLP (1800 793 457).

NSW RAPE & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES Offers telephone, online and face to face counselling to people of all genders who have experienced sexual, domestic or family violence, and their supporters. https://www.rape-dvservices.org.au/ Ph: 1800 424 017

1800 RESPECT Confidential service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week which provides support for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, sexual assault, domestic or family violence.

SRC Legal Service solicitors provide free legal advice, representation in court where relevant, and a referral service for all undergraduate students at Sydney Uni. They can help you out with a huge range of legal issues and offer drop-in sessions (No appointment required) 1-3pm Tuesdays & Thursdays, otherwise, you can also call to book an appointment! http://srcusyd.net.au/src-legal-service/ Ph: 9660 5222 Level 1, Wentworth Building G01, City Road, Darlington

LEGAL AID NSW Legal Aid is a state-wide organisation providing legal services to socially and economically disadvantaged people across NSW. They deliver legal services in most areas of criminal, family and civil law. They can provide help over the phone and also operate out of a number of centres around the city (call to find out your nearest one).

Ph: 1300 888 529

Ph: 1800 737 732

HOUSING HELP

LIFELINE

SRC CASEWORKERS

Lifeline provide a 24-hour mental health crisis support line and suicide prevention services.

They also offer text and online support services!

The SRC Casework team can provide help with issues relating to tenancy (i.e. issues with your landlord), as well as provide advice and referrals for emergency housing, where appropriate.

Drop-in services are available every Tuesday & Thursday from 1-3pm. Call the SRC to book an appointment!

https://www.lifeline.org.au/about-lifeline/ about-lifeline-overview Ph: 13 11 14

These services typically operate out of community legal centres. Tenant Advocates can provide free advice and representation for people renting public or private residential housing. and are postcode specific, so you’ll need to have a look on their website for your branch! https://www.tenants.org.au/

UNIVERSITY ACCOMMODATION SERVICES The University Accommodation Services provide a number of different options for accommodation at Camperdown/Darlington, Camden and Cumberland campuses. University accommodation can be a convenient option however keep in mind that it can often be more expensive than renting off campus. University accomodation is still usually cheaper than overpriced, privately run student housing such as Igloo or Urbanest.

Accommodation Services can also provide help or advice if you’re in need of emergency housing. https://sydney.edu.au/campus-life/ accommodation.html Level 5, Jane Foss Russell Building, Darlington Campus Ph: 9351 3322

http://srcusyd.net.au/src-help/

UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY CRISIS LNE Mental health crisis line run by the University.

It connects you with a qualified crisis support specialist who can support you to find relief from current emotional distress, explore coping strategies, safely manage any immediate threats to life or safety and offer referrals for longer term solutions.

Ph: 1300 474 065

Ph: 02 9660 5222 evel 1, Wentworth Building G01, City Road, Darlington

TENANTS NSW The Tenants’ Union provides a range of online resources and fact sheets to help you understand your rights as a tenant. They also provide resources to Tenants’ Advice and Advocacy Services across the state.

Text: 0488 884 429 (sms chat option)

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

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THE SRC’S HEAD CASEWORKER JAMES CAMPBELL TAKES STUDENTS THROUGH CENTRELINK

full time students don’t get any payment, as you are subject to a Parental Income Test.

If you are a local (HECS paying) student and would benefit from financial support for your study then you should consider applying for a fortnightly Centrelink payment such as Youth Allowance, Abstudy, or Austudy ( for those over 25). To get any payment you first need to ‘qualify’, but also then see if you are ‘payable’ after the various relevant income tests have been applied.

You are only considered ‘independent’ if: you are 22 years of age or over, or, you have worked fulltime (in a 2 year period), or, you are a regional student who has worked part-time (in specified limited circumstances), you are married or in a de facto relationship, or, it is ‘unreasonable’ to live in the parental home due to extreme circumstances.

Check with an SRC caseworker for the full details on Independence.

To Qualify you need to be: a citizen or Australian ‘resident’ for 2 years or more, and, studying an approved course (such as an undergraduate courses at the University of Sydney), and, generally be full time (at least 18 credit points each semester), and, not have studied for more than the allowable time for the degree (generally the degrees’ minimum time for the degree plus one semester). There are some exceptions to these rules so check with an SRC caseworker if these are a problem.

TO BE PAYABLE MAY DEPEND ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE ‘DEPENDENT’ OR ‘INDEPENDENT’ UNDER THE LEGISLATION. Being ‘dependent’ (even if you are not getting any actual support from your parents) is the main reason

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If you are ‘independent’ Centrelink will look only at your own income and assets – using the Personal Income Test - when determining whether you can receive a payment.

IN MOST CASES IF YOU LIVE AT YOUR PARENTS’ HOME THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT PAYABLE IS $293.60 PER FORTNIGHT. If you live away from your parent’s home you might be eligible for the higher away from home rate. If you are ‘dependent’ you need to show you have to leave the family home to study because it is more than 90 minutes away by public transport, and some other limited circumstances.

If you are ‘independent’ and away from home you automatically get this higher away rate. If you are eligible for the ‘away from home’ rate the maximum base rate you will receive is $445.80 per fortnight.

You may also be eligible for an additional Rent

WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

The maximum amount payable can be reduced by income tests. If you are ‘Independent’ Centrelink look at your own fortnightly income using the Personal Income Test. Your payment is reduced by $0.50 for every dollar that your pre-tax income exceeds $437.00 in that fortnight, plus a further reduction of $0.60 for every dollar above $524.00 per fortnight.

Your fortnightly payment stops when your income reaches almost $1000 per fortnight, or a few hundred higher if you get the away rate and rent assistance.

Always apply to check and confirm this.

A thing called the ‘Student Income Bank’ is also used to average out your income for the Personal Income Test. If you earn less than $437.00 in a fortnight then you can credit the amount under $437.00 towards future income tests. E.g. If you have no earnings in your first fortnight of Centrelink in the next fortnight the test starts at $874.00 ($437 plus $437). Always report any changes to your income each fortnight to Centrelink.

If you are ‘independent’ with a ‘partner’ they look both at your own fortnightly income and your partner’s fortnightly income using the Partner Income Test and the Personal Income Test. Talk to an SRC caseworker if you are unsure about that.

If you are ‘dependent’ Centrelink will assess your

combined parental taxable income in the last financial year under the Parent Income Test. Some exceptions apply.

If your parents are separated you are only considered ‘dependent’ on the parent you live with (or last lived with), and sometimes any new partner they may have.

If combined parental income is less than $52 706 a year, you can receive the full payment. If parental income is higher you will receive a reduced rate of payment until your parental income hits the ‘cut out’ point where it is too high to receive any student payment from Centrelink. This ‘cut out’ point varies according to whether you have any ‘dependent siblings’ and where you and they live. This point can be as low as $90 874 per year, or as high or higher than $168 614. When in doubt always apply and have this tested by Centrelink.

To apply or claim go online – google ‘claim youth allowance’ (or Austudy, Abstudy) ‘as a student’. You can only get paid from the date you apply so do not delay. It could be later if you do not yet qualify - ie the start of semester - but apply before then. It may take some weeks before Centrelink assess you application but they will pay you a lump sum back to the date you applied assuming you qualify and are payable then. They often seek further information – respond promptly to those requests (generally within 14 days) to be backpaid.

Important Notice and Disclaimer: This information does not constitute Legal advice. Seek qualified professional advice before making decisions about educational, financial, migration or legal matters. This information can change from time to time. Check for the most up to date information

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

A GUIDE BY JAMES CAMPBELL

Assistance payment of another $90.53 (if you share rent) or $135.80 (if you rent alone). Adding this means getting $536.33 (if sharing), or $581.60 per fortnight (if alone).

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ACADEMIC APPEALS DANE LUO WALKS YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS OF ACADEMIC APPEALS The SRC believes that every study deserves fair academic decision-making. If you feel that an academic decision was not made fairly, you can appeal that decision. Appeals are about protecting your rights and giving you a chance to make your case if you believe the University has not acted fairly in one of its decisions.

When deciding whether you want to appeal, you should be aware that: • There is a common formal policy and framework across the University (this is the University of Sydney (Student Appeals against Academic Decisions) Rule 2006, what a name!) but each faculty may have different processes for the first and second levels.

• Deadlines are generally very strict and extensions to appeals may not be given.

• If you are successful, your mark may be changed and it can be higher or lower than your original mark.

FIRST LEVEL – INFORMAL APPEAL The first level is to make an informal appeal to your teacher or unit of study coordinator within 15 working days of being advised of that decision.

If you are appealing an outcome for Special Consideration, Special Arrangements, Credit or Reduced Volume of Learning, you should submit an Informal Resolution Request online (https://bit.ly/2sGItBE).

For appeals from your Faculty • For Business School subjects, complete an online File Note form at https://bit.ly/2CA2COt • For School of Nursing and Midwifery, you need to submit an Application for Re-marking at https://bit.ly/2TerG4s.

• For all other faculties, you need to email your teacher or unit of study coordinator.

SECOND LEVEL – FACULTY OR ACADEMIC PANEL APPEAL If you disagree with the decision at the first level, you can appeal to the next level. You have 20 working days to appeal after receiving the decision in the first level.

If you are appealing a decision solely about Special Consideration, Special Arrangements or Credit, your appeal is heard in the Academic Panel. Otherwise, it is determined by the Faculty, usually by a representative of the Dean.

For more details and how to appeal from this level, you should go to https://bit.ly/2W8iSPw. THIRD LEVEL – APPEALS TO THE STUDENT APPEAL BODY If you disagree with the decision at the second level, you can appeal to the final university-level body – the Student Appeals Body (SAB).

You have 15 working days to appeal after the decision in the second level.

This can only be done on the sole ground that due academic process has not been followed – the Registrar will check that this ground exists before passing your case to the SAB. It is important that you identify that policy or other issues relating to ‘due academic process’ have not been followed. The SRC Caseworkers can help you with this!

To make an appeal to the SAB, you need to complete an online application form (https://bit.ly/2W94TJy) with all your documentation.

The SAB will contact you to arrange a hearing date. The Faculty will send you their documentation before the hearing. On the hearing day, three panelists will hear your appeal. The decision of the SAB is final and no further appeals can be heard.* Here are some tips for an application to the SAB: • You must submit all relevant documentation before the hearing date because new evidence (oral or written) cannot be given at the hearing. The hearing is only for the purpose of asking questions from the panelists.

• You should utilise free caseworker advice from the SRC. We can help you make the strongest submissions and advise you on what to do. You are permitted to bring a representative from the SRC or own support person (such as a parent of friend) to the hearing.

• At the hearing, speak clearly and remember that your role is to assist the SAB to make a decision. *If not an academic matter, you may need to get legal advice about consumer/ disability law, or prcedural fairness under the Discipline Rule.

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WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

ARE YOU APPEALING AN ACADEMIC DECISION? (An academic decision is a decision by the University that affects the academic assessment or progress of a person within their course)

YES FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION, SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS, CREDIT OR REDUCED VOLUME OF LEARNING Submit an Informal Resolution Request online

https://bit.ly/2sGItBE

YES, FOR OTHER FACULTIES Business: submit a File Note https://bit.ly/2CA2COt Nursing and Midwifery: submit an Application for Re-marking https://bit.ly/2TerG4s Other: email your Unit of Study Coordinator

FIRST LEVEL: INFORMAL APPEALS SUBMIT WITHIN 15 WORKING DAYS OF ORIGINAL ACADEMIC DECISION

WOULD YOU LIKE TO FURTHER APPEAL? fmh.appeals@sydney.edu.au YES FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION, SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS, CREDIT OR REDUCED VOLUME OF LEARNING Submit an online Appeal Form https://bit.ly/2W8iSPw

SECOND LEVEL: FACULTY OR ACADEMIC PANEL APPEALS SUBMIT WITHIN 20 WORKING DAYS OF FIRST LEVEL APPEAL DECISION

YES FOR FACULTIES FASS: email to fass.appeals@sydney.edu.au Business: submit online at https://bit. ly/2sIfQE4 FEIT: email to engineering.progression@sydney.edu.au Health Sciences: email to fhs.academicrecords@sydney.edu.au Law: email to law.dean@sydney.edu.au Medicine and Health: email to

WOULD YOU LIKE TO FURTHER APPEAL ON THE GROUND THAT DUE ACADEMIC PROCESS HAS NOT BEEN FOLLOWED? YES THIRD LEVEL: STUDENT APPEALS BODY SUBMIT WITHIN 15 WORKING DAYS OF SECOND LEVEL APPEAL DECISION SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FORM AND ATTEND A HEARING.

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

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HOW TO RESPOND TO A DISCLOSURE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT When someone says they have been sexually assaulted, the first response can define their healing process and greatly impact them following their assault. Your role as a supporter is critical.

A response which is supportive, non-blaming and compassionate will help the person feel like they have chosen the right person to speak with. To be the person someone chooses to tell the most awful story of their life is a very honourable place to be. It is also a place of great responsibility.

Below are some examples of important things to do and say to someone who tells you they have been sexually assaulted.

THREE KEY THINGS TO SAY:

THIS IS HEARD AS:

• I’m sorry for what happened.

• What happened was a crime.

• I believe you.

• This is not your fault.

• You are not alone.

• I will do what I can to help.

DO:

DO NOT:

• • • • • • •

• Tell them what to do or try to take over.

• Ask them “why” questions: why they were there, why they trusted them. “Why” questions are blame questions.

• Get angry on their behalf. They already have enough to deal with without worrying about you.

• Assume you jnow how they feel. Everyone experiences sexual assault differently.

Listen to the story.

Let them express how they feel.

Let them cry.

Encourage them.

Not worry if par ts of the story don’t add up.

Tell them you are sorry for what happened.

Explain what you can do.

IF THE SEXUAL ASSAULT WAS RECENT: • Consider options for preserving forensic evidence.

• Help the person to access counselling and medical services.

• Assist them to consider reporting to police.

BUT REMEMBER! The decision about what to do is always with the person who has experienced sexual assault. Going through formal procedures of repor ting is often traumatic for survivors.

Respect them, their body and their choices.

All information provided is from Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia. Call the NSW Rape Crisis Hotline at 1800 424 017 to have direct access to trauma specialist councillors from R&DVSA.

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WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

HOW THE SRC CAN HELP WITH HOUSING Did you know that many students who live out of home are experiencing rent stress, and you might be one of them?

Rent stress occurs if you’re spending more than 30% of your income on rent, while rent crisis is paying more than 50% of your income on rent. If you’re relying on Youth Allowance, which is capped at $462.50 plus $92 rent assistance fortnightly, this means that paying any more than $230 a fortnight in rent is putting you in rent crisis.

Yet for many of those living out of home, $230 is less than a week’s rent.

MOVING IN CHECKLIST

Finding somewhere to live that suits your personal needs and doesn’t put you into rent stress can be a complicated business. It’s easy to be misled by confusingly worded rental agreements, and some people offering housing options will take advantage of you not knowing your rights. That’s where the SRC comes in! Caseworkers can advise you on all kinds of concerns, including:

It’s tempting to avoid the fuss of written agreements, but it can be really important to have everything written down if anything goes wrong. Get the terms of your agreement written down (on paper or via email) and make sure that you know the full legal name of whoever you’re sending money to.

KNOWING WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN YOU’RE MOVING TO A NEW PLACE

It doesn’t matter what you’re paying for, or how little or how much you’re paying, you should always make sure you get a receipt for any money you send to anyone else. Your bank statement might not be sufficient, so ask for a receipt that includes your full name as well as the full name of who you’re paying, the amount paid, the date and the reason for payment.

- Going through agreements or contracts to see what they mean for you - Explaining your rights and responsibilities in a new place

Look out for things like mould or signs of cockroaches, and see how easily accessible the place is. Are there lots of stairs? Is it on a busy highway? It’s a good idea to ask about noise from neighbours (such as pubs and bars) or planes.

Make it official

Keep receipts

Take photos

- Getting your bond back after you move out - Short-term emergency housing options - Advice on legal issues relating to housing - Assistance in accessing Centrelink rent allowance, if eligible

Inspect the room or property in person if possible

Whether you’re still in your family home and planning to move out soon, or already have some kind of agreement or contract in a sharehouse, private rental, uni accommodation or elsewhere, caseworkers can advise you and help you to work through your housing issues.

Remember, it’s always easier to avoid a bad agreement in the first place rather than having to figure out how to get yourself out of it once you’ve already signed something or paid money. Talking about your proposed agreement with SRC caseworkers before you move in or pay anything is the best way to make sure you won’t end up in a difficult situation.

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

Take photos of anything that is damaged or dirty, so you can prove when you move out that you should not be responsible for paying to fix it. Similarly, take photos of everything in good condition when you move out, to prove that you did not do any damage to the property. Email the photos to yourself so that there is a date stamp that cannot be refuted.

Understand your agreement Make sure you know what is required for you to move out of the property. Agreements can be very different – you might only have to give a few weeks’ notice, or you might have to pay the whole amount of rent for however long you agreed to stay, even if you’re not living there anymore. It’s also good to check out your own rights, as some agreements allow your landlord to ask you to leave with just a few weeks’ notice. Caseworkers are happy to go through the small print with you!

To contact an SRC caseworker email help@src.usyd.edu.au.

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CONCESSION CARDS “Can I get concession opal cards like other local students?” is one of the most frequent questions for international students when they first arrive in Australia. The response from the New South Wales government is “NO!” As early as July 1989, the NSW Government stopped issuing concession cards to international students, after which the half-fare concession became a privilege exclusively reserved for local students. In 2006, the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA) and a group of international students took the matter to the courts. The NSW Government’s response was to pass the Transport Administration Amendment (Travel Concession) Bill 2006, making it legally justified to continue the discrimination.

This move has saved Government at least $13 million every year but is in breach of international student rights. The former NSW Deputy Premier insists that the Government must “target its concession resources to those it considers most in need”, and that international students who pay more than $40,000 per year for their degrees must be deemed ineligible because ‘they have already indicated to the Federal Government, in obtaining a student visa, that they are fully self-sufficient and bale to meet their own living expenses while in Australia’ (NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard, 6 June 2006) Mr Watkin’s statement is not backed by common sense or logic. International students pay full university fees, but it does not mean that they are never in short of money. Being students from different backgrounds and starting a life in a strange country is by no means an easy task – especially when facing rampant exploitation in the workplace, poor living conditions and an outrageously expensive rental market. More importantly, a student’s right to travel concession derives not from whether they can afford their living, but from their status as a full-time university student who is not yet financially independent. Try to think of universal suffrage – one has the right to vote not because they are rich or noble, but by virtue of their citizenship in a state. It’s not just about fighting for some extra money to spend, but about fighting for a right that’s always should have been rightfully ours.

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WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

国际学生教育 OPAL CARDS “我可以得到像本地学生一样的交通卡优惠吗？“是国际学生 刚到澳洲的时候最常问的问题之一。新南威尔士政府的回答 是”不！”

最早在1989年七月，新南威尔士州政府停止向国际学生提供 优惠交通卡，在之后半价学生优惠交通卡成为了本地学生的特 权。在2006年的时候，悉尼大学研究生协会SUPRA和一群国 际学生将此案带入法庭。作为回应，政府通过了2006年交通 行政修改法案（交通优惠），成功合法化这条歧视法案。

此项举措为政府每年省了一千三百万元澳币但是却牺牲了国际 学生的平等权利。前新州副总理坚持称“将此项优惠给最需 要的人”，而每年支付超$40000学费的学生无法得到资格因 为“他们已经向联邦政府证明他们自己能够承受自己的生活费 用 （新南威尔士州立法会议事录，2006年6月6日）

沃特金的言论不符合常识或者逻辑。国际学生支付四万刀的学 费并不等于“永远都不缺钱”。来自不同背景的学生在一个陌 生国家开始全新生活不是一向简单事情———特别是他们总是 遇到面对找不到工作，劳工压榨，艰难的生活条件，以及定价 过高的租房市场。更重要的是，一个学生的权利不应该取决于 他能不能承担费用，而是取决于全日制学生无法取得经济自立 的身份本身。这就好比普选权，一个人选举的权利与一个人的 经济地位无关，这取决于他/她在一个国家中的公民身份。这 已经不是关于争取更多的一些钱支付开销，更是关于争取本身 是属于国际学生的权利。

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// FOOD & BARS // 1 COURTYARD Ahh Courtyard, the Quay Restaurant of USyd, a place for gourmet epicureans, jaded hacks, and aspiring “thems” to peacock and voyeur amid the bourgeois edge of inner Holme. A touch pricey, but one of the better places to eat on campus— look out for the daily pasta & pizza specials, and the campus personalities making sure you see them.

9 UNIBRO’S Unibros is an absolute classic, serving up remarkably greasy Kebabs, pizza slices, pides, burgers, HSPs, and everything else in that vein. While we may never forgive them for two-timing on us with UTS, it’s hard to resist their sweet sebaceous siren song.

2 FISHER COFFEE CART Located next Fisher Library, Coffee Cart offers a range of food-on-the-go and diarrhoea-inducing caffeine drinks, and stays open till late to service all your ritalin-binges study sessions. Convenient and decent feeds, but the lines on the hour are even longer than the ones in the bathroom of level 9 after midnight.

3 TASTE There are two tastes on campus, and both seem to be catering to the elitist wanker market. Taste near the Law building is THE place to take someone if you’ve got a great startup idea—not the best place to take a potential date. The one near the Charles Perkins Centre is a bit quieter, but comes with a side-helping of Med student smugness.

4 FORUM RESTAURANT One of the newest additions to the Uni’s food roster, but one about which reviews were not forthcoming: we truly don’t know a single student who has ever eaten here.

It’s pretty expensive and doesn’t take access, but it does make for a good place to confront a University decisionmaker if you’re sick-o-their-shit.

5 RALPH’S Ralph’s does a decent pasta and recently started accepted EFTPOS payments above a certain threshold. Aside from that, the staff have a proud tradition of being rude as fuck, the clientele are almost exclusively College drones (and of the muscly dudebro variety in particular), and the entire ordeal is so stressful it makes you wonder whether it’s appropriate for them to be in an exercise and health centre.

6 MANNING Manning was once the hub of the campus; a watering hole that brought hacks, gymbros, Hegelian post-structuralists, and even petty careerists together amid the sound of cheap inebriation and bands like the Sepultura, Radio Birdman, and the Foo Fighters. These days it’s a sad sight. @USYD PLEASE INVEST IN MANNING IT HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL AND WAS ONCE SO GREAT! 7 LANEWAY Not the best breakfast on campus, but certainly not the worst. A small menu, with a sneaky hack—ask for the eggs on toast but get rid of the toast for a ridiculously cheap feed (it’ll come in at least than $4, ~$3.60 with access). Nice staff and a comfortable space since renovations a few years ago.

8 WENTWORTH FOOD COURT Though it will never fail to be a tragic simulacrum of an 80s food court, recent renovations to the Wentworth Food Court have improved it somewhat. I am a big Jewel of India fan, but it doesn’t seem like anyone else is. Don’t confuse the swing-like benches for swings… trust me.

// SPACES // 12 ETHNOCULTURAL SPACE Located on level 1 of Manning House, the Ethnocultural Space is a safe and autonomous space for students who identify as being from an ethnic minority and believe they have suffered or continue to suffer from systemic racial oppression.

PLACES TO GO ON CAMPUS PAG E 12

10 PARMA Parma probably has the biggest menu of any food outlet at USyd, and has a decent happy hour deal if you like to drink. But unfortunately their depth doesn’t match their breadth; their food is rarely amazing, but their prices are reasonable and drinks are great.

11 ENGO GRILL No one quite knows what goes on down at Engo grill. Like the rest of the Engo side of campus, it is shrouded in mystery. Rumour has it the beef they use is the polymeric innovation of a fledgling Incubate start up—it doesn’t taste too bad, so perhaps it has some legs.

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13 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT LOUNGE Located on level 4 of the Wentworth Building the International Student Lounge (ISL) offers resources to help international students transition into life at the University of Sydney, and a place for students both domestic and international to hang out. The space has microwaves you can use as well and often hosts events.

14 QUEER SPACE The Queerspace is an autonomous room open to all queeridentifying and questioning students. It’s safe place where all people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, or otherwise sex and/or gender diverse can relax in an accepting and inclusive environment. It has recently been moved to room G10, on the ground floor of Manning House.

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15 WOM*N’S SPACE Wom*n’s Space is an autonomous, safe location on Manning Level 1 for wom*n and female identifying students. The room offers an area for wom*n to use for quiet study, breastfeeding, meetings and hosts women’s events.

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CLUBS & SOCIETIES Each faculty has an associated society:

VICE-PRESIDENT CHARLOTTE BULLOCK WALKS YOU THROUGH THE WORLD OF CLUBS & SOCIETIES Many first years will be told that the best way to make friends on campus is to join clubs and societies – this advice is absolutely correct! With over 200 clubs, the University of Sydney Union (USU) offers students a fantastic opportunity to connect with others who share their interests. Welcome Week is the ideal time to sign up as every society will have a stall at Welcome Fest.

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Sydney Arts Students Society (SASS) SUBS (Sydney University Business Society) SUEUA (Sydney University Engineering Undergraduate Association) SciSoc (Science Society) SULS (Sydney University Law Society)

Welcome Week events run by these societies provide the perfect chance to meet other students studying the same degree as you before classes begin!

There are a range of clubs which connect students who share a religious background, such as the Sydney University Muslim Students Association. Additionally, students can meet those who share their cultural identity in clubs like: - - - - -

the Chinese Students Association the German Society, the University of Sydney Korean Association FrenchSoc And more!

These clubs provide a great way to get together with students to share language, food and culture.

LGBTQ+ students can get involved with SHADES, the queer party society on campus.

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Those who are interested in expressing their creative side should check out these performing arts societies: - - - - -

the Sydney University Dramatic Society (SUDS) The Sydney University Musical Theatre Ensemble (MUSE), BarberSoc the Sydney University Musical Society (SUMS) Movement and Dance Society (MADSOC)

Clubs and societies on campus cater to those who just want to meet other people, party, get political, or explore nature, and so much more!

Since 2019, USU membership has been free for all students. USU membership allows students to: - - -

Join clubs and societies!

Attend USU events Become a USU volunteer

Simply sign up on the USU website!

While USU membership is free, some clubs and societies may charge a small membership fee.

Students can also sign up to USU Rewards to access: - - -

10% discount on food and drink on campus!

Every 7th coffee free Free soy & almond milk

WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

FACULTY GUIDES STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

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ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES ANGELINA GU PAINTS A PICTURE OF WHAT AN ARTS DEGREE LOOKS LIKE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

A­ rts is the largest, broadest, and most flexible faculty at Sydney University. We’re a vibrant and eclectic cohort, with majors and programs available across six schools - Art and Media; Economics; Education and Social Work; Languages and Cultures; Literature, Art and Media; Philosophical and Historical Enquiry; and Social and Political Sciences.

Your first year of university is about experiencing and experimenting with your interests in Arts. With a combination of such a wide range of majors, you can really decide what you are passionate about.

Even if the first major you pick ends up not being what you enjoy, there is plenty of flexibility to change majors and still be on track for your degree in second year. If you do feel like you are in this situation, there are many available resources at the Student Centre to help. Most courses in Arts are made up of tutorials and lectures.

Tutorials are compulsory and require a minimum of 80% attendance.

5% penalty rate per day if you submit assignments late. Tutors for your courses are there to help in your learning and if you ever need anything related directly to your course, email them or the unit coordinator. If you need a place to study, the FASS Building and Fisher Library are great spots - you can even catch a free shuttle from Fisher Library to Redfern Station every 15 to 30 minutes from 4pm to 10pm every day!

There’s often a stigma around doing an Arts degree for ‘employability’ purposes. USyd is ranked #1 in Australia for employability so ignore that stigma! You should never let it get in the way of studying something you are passionate about. Our university provides many helpful resources such as the Careers Centre, and FASS (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences), that enable students in gaining work experience and more importantly, finding what they are passionate about doing.

THERE’S OFTEN A STIGMA AROUND DOING AN ARTS DEGREE FOR ‘EMPLOYABILITY’ PURPOSES... USYD PROVIDES MANY HELPFUL RESOURCES WHICH HELP STUDENTS GAIN WORK EXPERIENCE AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, FIND WHAT THEY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT Lecture attendance in-person, by contrast, is not always compulsory (although in some courses this is not the case - so always check with your coordinator in case you cannot attend), and mostly available for viewing online in case you are not able to attend. But this is a bad habit to get into, so for your first year, it’s strongly recommended that you attend all lectures and tutorials in person, where possible.

Now, assignments! Arts courses have mainly assessments scattered throughout the semester, and 1-3 exams depending on the course.

So, remember to do these and submit them on time. There is a

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Arts is an excellent community to be a part of. Degree flexibility allows you to get involved with extra-curriculars, such as the Sydney Arts Students’ Society or what its more commonly known as, SASS. Connect with other Arts students across all schools and attend events designed for Arts students. Explore the Arts handbook for undergrads and other relevant clubs and societies for more advice on your degree. We wish you the best of luck!

WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

COMMERCE STUDYING COMMERCE MEANS YOUR LIFE WOULD LARGELY REVOLVE AROUND THE ABERCROMBIE BUSINESS SCHOOL BUILDING (ABS). HERE ARE FOUR TIPS TO GET YOUR WAY THROUGH BUSINESS SCHOOL! TIP 1: Get your Commerce core units out of the way!

Every Commerce student needs to study four ‘core’ units. These are: BUSS1000 (Future of Business), BUSS1020 (Quantitative Business Analysis), BUSS1030 (Accounting, Business and Society) and BUSS2000 (Leading and Influencing in Business). You can do the BUSS10X0 units in your first year and do BUSS2000 after you have finished BUSS1000. These units often received a mixed response from past students. Whilst some like the topics and find the content interesting, some find them boring and challenging. Either way, get them out of the way so you can focus on your electives and majors. I recommend you do the BUSS10X0 units in semester 1 and BUSS2000 as early as possible.

TIP 2: Make use of CEO The Careers and Employability Office (CEO) is located at the bottom floor of the ABS building. This is an often-underused service it can be really helpful to check your CV, get help writing a cover letter, practice doing interviews and other things to help with your career and get a job. They’re also very friendly and can speak about how to improve your prospects of being employed. They have many resources that you can use.

TIP 3: Explore the different majors If you aren’t sure about the major that you want to study, don’t worry. Based on how the Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees are structured, you can generally change your major at the end of your first year after you have tried out some first-year core units of different majors. However, if you are studying the Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws, you don’t have as much flexibility so see the CEO early and plan out your degree.

Here are some introductory units that you can try or do as electives: • • • • • • • •

ACCT1006 (Accounting and Financial Management) (after completing BUSS1030) BUSS1040 (Economics for Business Decision Making) CLAW1001 (Foundations of Business Law) IBUS1101 (Global Business) INFS1000 (Digital Business Innovation) MKTG1001 (Marketing Principles) QBUS1040 (Foundations of Business Analytics) (after completing BUSS1020) WORK1003 (Foundations of Work and Employment)

TIP 4: Take part in case competitions, events and activities from societies There are over 20 dedicated clubs and societies related to Business School and Commerce. They often run networking events, case competitions, information sessions and other activities. At Welcome Fest, you can meet executives from those clubs and societies on Eastern Avenue. And sign up for their regular newsletters to find out more about these opportunities. Take advantage of these opportunities to develop your skills.

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ENGINEERING MENGYUAN (DEREK) ZHU REVERSE ENGINEERS YOUR ENGINEERING DEGREE The fresh year of 2020 belongs to those of you who venture into this foreign University with prosperous and ambitious goals for the very first time. It doesn’t matter whether if you are familiar with the Australian environment, or if you have travelled from afar, this academic journey will always hold endless possibilities and instabilities. Now, you might be extremely excited by the University life ahead of you, or maybe a little worried, for there will be brand new living and learning styles.

At the University of Sydney, you may encounter lifelong friendships and your significant other. At the same time, you may also be crushed by the enormous study load. But hey, this is Uni life! You have to savour these enriching but short years, which I believe will be an experience of a lifetime.

For those of you who will become an engineering freshman, I think that your priority should be to familiarise and adapt to any changes in your studying and living style. This guide will focus mainly on academic: For freshmen, studying in a new environment will often provide challenging perspectives. For example, mastering the art of memorising before an exam might not come in as handy anymore. The way lecturers teach will also be drastically different from those in high school. The focus of each lesson is also harder to grasp and requires your critical thinking skill. These phenomena are most common among engineering students due to the fact that theories of engineering have largely displaced mathematical calculations, leaving many who depend on getting good grades through exercises helpless.

Of course, high school education and university education are two separate procedures. For long, there has been a breach between high school and university education. High school commonly spoon-feed the knowledge to the students, whereas universities tend to inspire students and nurture them to become independent critical thinkers. It is this breach that causes high school students to feel clueless at university, and university students to feel indifferent about high school education. As such, many engineering students cannot accustom to this change. For students to better adapt to the studying mode and counter this phenomenon, I have three suggestions: 1. Carefully read what your Major might lead you to and determine your final goal Picking the correct major is crucial for all subjects and especially important for engineering students. When you first enrol into engineering, you will see that you need to choose a Major. There are many different areas you may specialise in engineering, and this means you will have many different paths to tread. You must carefully analyse the pros and cons of every Major before you arrive at your final decision, for this may determine your future career. However, choosing the wrong Major is not the end of the world, and as freshmen, all these may seem a bit overwhelming and confusing. Our suggestion in regard to Major selection is that when you first pick, pick what your gut feeling tells you to. After a year of trying, if it doesn’t feel too bad, give it another year of thorough studying and come to a final conclusion in the third year.

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The reason for doing this is that when it comes to Major selection, the University of Sydney respects your choices. Before you come into contact with courses in which you choose to specialise in third year, you have plenty of time to reset your sail for another course. Remember when you had to write down a Major during the admission process? That is only for procedure’s sake. After you are admitted, you can always ask senior students and staff members to resolve any questions you may have in choosing your path.

When you are in second year, the Major you chose will require you to study its compulsory courses, and their difficulty will get harder as you progress through this Major. This allows you to have a taste of what a certain Major will specialise in to allow you to make the ultimate decision in third year.

2. Make every endeavour to get an internship For most engineering students, their ultimate destination will be a career requiring many years of accumulated work experience and expertise in the relevant technique. Every internship you take on, every droplet of sweat you shed and every bit of experience you gain will one day make you the big frog in the pond.

At the same time, you may even reconsider your current career direction by doing many internships, or even consolidating your current goals to make sure you don’t derail. Internships may also adjust your thinking pattern every time you complete one and thus promote your ability to study. The two holidays you get every year are excellent opportunities for you to get internships. These are all crucial opportunities you need to start looking for by the end of year 1.

3. Actively get involved in societies and student organisations Involving in the societies and student organisations allow you to meet many new people with your common interest. Some of these people may be senior students who may share their experiences with you. At high school, senior students may not seem very important, after all your goals can be achieved simply by listening to a teacher’s instructions. Now, this is completely different in uni. All lecturers have their own research tasks, and it is common for you to stay an anonymous student in the lecturer’s memory even after a whole semester of teaching. At this time, only senior students can act as your signpost in this labyrinth known as uni.

Therefore, getting more involved in different bodies to meet people who may provide you with guidance is the last key to success

CHINESE TRANSLATION ON THE NEXT PAGE WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

MENGYUAN (DEREK) ZHU REVERSE ENGINEERS YOUR ENGINEERING DEGREE

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

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LAW

JUST ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL

PRUDENCE WILKINS-WHEAT HITS YOU UP WITH THE LITIGIOUS LOWDOWNS AND SOME SILKY SUGGESTIONS If you like rollercoasters, you’ll like law. Your love of the subject is dependent on how well you do. If you surpass expectations on an essay, you’ll be picturing your life as Harvey Specter (or Atticus Finch if you’re a nerd); if you stumble, it’ll make you spiral into an existential crisis; why am I here, why did I choose this, where am I going?

Someone once told me that law is like being forced to read terms and conditions all day. I disagree. It can be dry, but a lot of what you read will actually be interesting. Cases are basically stories written by old white men about really fascinating people. For your first four years, you’ll have prescribed units every semester so choose some fun extra curriculars to balance it out. I recommend philosophy.

There’s a misconception that Law is a hard subject and the people who study it are geniuses. The former gets truer as you continue in your degree, but in the early years it’s pretty easy to understand if you do the readings; they aren’t all designed to confuse you – there’s just a lot of them to read. I would suggest that Philosophy is a far more difficult subject because it’s very hard to understand the ideas whereas law does not have that problem. Your tutors and lecturers design the course to be as clear as possible because you have a short amount of time to read a lot.

And the people? What type of people willingly strap into this ride? Firstly, the people who got the ATAR but are scared of blood, those who actually want to be lawyers (these people are few and far between), those who want the 201k lifestyle, those who want the 201k reputation, people who did debating in high-school, every private school boy who did Legal studies, ‘perfectionist’ types (you’ll know who they are because they’ll cry after their first on-call marks), the humble few who transferred into law (edit: sadists), the people who want to work in the ‘UN’, the students who actually want to help people (they’ll drop-out) and the repressed theatre kids whose North Shore parents wouldn’t let them audition for NIDA. Welcome to your 2020 law cohort!

Often law students put up a front that we all know what’s going on (“yeah bro, section 53 of the CPA totally makes sense to me”) – it’s all a facade.

If you’re someone who feels like you’re not smart enough to be in law, you probably have something called ‘imposter syndrome’. This is especially common amongst female law students. This is normal. I encourage you to manage your expectations – law is hard, but mostly because they mark you quite harshly and it’s hard to stay in control of readings. A credit/pass for

SOMEONE ONCE TOLD ME THAT LAW IS LIKE BEING FORCED TO READ TERMS AND CONDITIONS ALL DAY... IT CAN BE DRY, BUT A LOT OF WHAT YOU READ WILL ACTUALLY BE INTERESTING!

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law is the average, anything above that is stunning. Please do not hinge your self-worth on your law mark, it’s like looking into a warped mirror – really clever people can fail a law subject, I’ve seen it happen. Maybe that area of law just wasn’t for you.

A way of coping with insecurities is to befriend the people in your law cohort – chances are they’ll feel exactly like you do. Some cliques from college or high school may form but a great way to overcome them is by joining the Sydney Law Society (SULS) and going to all their events – especially Law Camp. It can be exxy, but if you’re having trouble with payment, please contact their equity officer Max at equity@suls.org.au and they will help with subsidies!

Now here’s some basic helpful advice: • Textbooks are also very expensive for law. You can check StudentVIP, which is a site where sell second-hand law textbooks, but please check which edition the Unit suggests you use. They often want you to have the most updated edition, which can sometimes have helpful new information or clearer layout. SULS also offer a textbook loan scheme, so email Max about that too! Also try order textbooks ASAP because they sell out pretty quickly • Enroll in Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS)!!! This is available for Torts and Contracts (and other law and non-law subjects). These are weekly mentoring sessions from older law students who did well in that subject. It’s proven that going to PASS increases your final exam marks by a few percent. But enroll quickly because they fill up fast.

I especially recommend enrolling for Torts because you won’t know what to expect when you first do an exam!

• Pay close attention to your referencing. They take marks off for poor citations and grammar. We have our own legal referencing style –the Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 4th edition (AGLC4). Also, when you write essays, make sure your language is concise, dry, short and to-the-point. You’ll often be marked down for putting too much spirit into your sentences, especially with a tight word count – but a whimsical title never goes astray.

• Don’t skip lectures – often exam hints and tricks are in the lectures.

They also sometimes give out physical material.

• Do problem questions – they give you insight into what issues will arise in an exam. Try to do them at the end of the week (you probs won’t but try) and also the ones they provide you at end of semester (these are critical).

• Ask questions in class – seriously! If you don’t ask in a tutorial and it comes up in the exam, you’ll rue the day.

• Assessments suck. They’re heavily weighted; you can get some worth 60% or even 100% in later years. Make sure you talk with friends when you do an essay or answer a problem question (see what they’re doing). Everyone gets the law wrong a couple times in the WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

ARCHITEC T DESIGN U & R PLANNING E AND IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN SAVING YOUR SOUL... VOLUNTEER FOR LEGALAID, THE ABORIGINAL LEGAL SERVICE, REDFERN LEGAL CENTRE OR THE REFUGEE ADVICE OR CASEWORKER SERVICE

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problems and there are always tricks you miss (so double check with them and boost your marks collectively). But I’m legally obligated to remind you that collusion is against University policy.

If something goes wrong while you’re studying, you can apply for a simple extension or special consideration (see previous pages). Law has a bad reputation for not being very supportive of its students, but there ARE situations that you can apply for help, so don’t suffer in silence.

Also do not feel pressure to do a fulltime load of law, especially in later years. Plenty of law students do part time or a 3-unit load whilst studying law in summer school (doing it in winter school is a little intense).

I should also warn you now that we all want to drop Law at least once in this degree. The subject isn’t for everyone. If you hate everything about this subject, don’t force yourself to do it. Also friendly reminder that not everyone who studies law needs to become a lawyer – Fidel Castro studied law!

Try out first year mooting, it’s like mock-trials. It’s run by SULS (you’ll see it advertised in their newsletter). I’ve never done it, but I hear it’s good. There’s also a women’s mooting, definitely join that too!

Join Law Revue! A revue is a comedy show where students write skits, then perform them. It involves dancing, singing, acting (but you don’t need to be good at all three). This is one of the oldest revues in Australia. It’s been my favourite part of law; you make amazing friends with law students from all years.

This probably all seems like a lot. But some really easy ways to excel in law include: having parents who are both lawyers, having the confidence of the people who actually wear a suit in their law tutorials, having come from Sydney Grammar, and being a bro.

Avoid!! The people who ask for your ATAR, people who ask what mark you got, anyone who says ‘I totally didn’t study’ but tops the grade, anyone who isn’t embarrassed when they say they’re a Dalyell scholar, people who mention law in every conversation, people who spend everyday in the Law library, people who do outside reading and bring it up in the tutorial for extra marks and anyone who quotes Jordan Peterson or Ben Shapiro un-ironically.

And if you’re interested in saving your soul, please use your powers for good by volunteering for LegalAid, the Aboriginal Legal Service, Redfern Legal Centre or the Refugee Advice or Caseworker Service.

Godspeed young lawyer.

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

MANJERRA KAN GIVES YOU THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, AND PLANNING In your first year, you are going to learn the art of iterations. Of creating and reworking your ideas, making many process models and drawings sketches till you get to a final resolved design than barely resembles your first idea. Don’t let your spirits get down when the first idea you pitch isn’t well-received; the aim of the game is to push you to your limits and challenge you to create your best. You’ll be part of a relatively small cohort, face long studio hours and have all hour’s access to the Homebase Studio.

You’ll be surrounded by inspiring, passionate and talented people. You’ll be encouraged to take leaps, expected to defend your ideas and design thinking and navigate new waters.

There is a stronger focus on project work and assignments rather than exams in this degree. Most of your subjects will have semester long projects that will culminate in a final presentation. However, don’t leave it to the last minute because as you’ll come to learn, it always takes longer than you expect, especially model making. Some of the best skills to learn going into this degree is patience, perseverance and time management. Be patient when creating, persevere when it doesn’t go to plan and learn to break up your workload to prevent and minimise your stress.

Alongside managing workload and academic expectations, there is a financial aspect of studying Architecture to consider. You’ll need to pay for your own materials, laptops, any extra programs (necessary ones are provided on uni computers and some discounted and free ones are available for your own devices) and for printing. Most presentations at the end of semester require large panels which can be costly to print. Your SRC is happy to help with short term loans and can assist you in trying to find income support.

Architecture students are known for going MIA during semester and rarely leaving the architecture building. Consider underloading your subjects (before census date if possible) if its too overwhelming or you’re struggling.

Although architecture can be gruelling remember to prioritise your wellbeing. As an industry and as a faculty Architecture is tackling mental health as a priority. If you’re under emotional strain, coping with the workload is becoming difficult or any other reason your well-being is being compromised, the faculty, SRC and SUDA (Sydney Uni Design Association) are willing to talk and help.

There are many events throughout the year to have fun, learn and be a part of uni life. SUDA hosts parties every semester and there’s interfaculty sports and pub crawls to dive into as well. The Architecture faculty also hosts many evening talks with snack and drinks available. These are great opportunities for networking and learning about niche areas that you’re interested in. There are always exhibitions on at the Tin Sheds Gallery in the Architecture building, so don’t forget to check those out!

PAG E 21

SCIENCE

TOM WILLIAMS BRINGS YOU THE INSIDE WORD ON STUDYING SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

Welcome to science! Due to controversial mergers the faculty of science is highly diverse, featuring 40+ majors, however the degrees are still as fullon as before. You can expect long contact hours, large finals and a constant stream of assessments to move you through content-heavy courses. Course difficulty ramps up significantly through the years, but friends in your subject cohorts, highly knowledgeable lecturers and social events hosted by the many societies will get you through it.

PhD candidates, a contrast to other faculties.

Advanced units typically scale down the assessment weightings to add another project or component. They may have separate classes and learn extra content. Their exams usually share questions with other streams but include more challenging questions. Due to smaller cohorts you will have more opportunities to ask staff questions. Take these if you are especially passionate about a subject and wouldn’t mind the extended work.

THE DEGREE

HOW TO SURVIVE A SCIENCE UNIT

Most science degrees will involve three years studying two majors or a major and a minor, sometimes followed by honours. Admission to honours will depend on your “SciWam”, which only considers second- and third-year units. With that in mind, here’s a generic degree plan to get you started: First year: Maths is compulsory, so knock it out now. Check the prerequisites for your major(s) via the online 2020 science handbook and be sure to get them done as well. If you have an interest in another major, open as many doors as possible and cover those pre-requisites too. A common first year combination includes Math, Biol, Chem and an elective.

Second year: Once you’ve locked in your major requirements, second year is a good chance to knock over your extra course requirements -OLEs, Dalyell units, or just another elective. Many schools run subject-specific 2000 level electives which usually survey much better than similar mandatory units. Exchange is also an option but make sure you can continue your major overseas. At the end of second year the faculty offers the Denison Research Scholarship, which pays you for 6 weeks research. The scholarship is a great chance to gain some experience and figure out if you want to do honours.

Third year: Many majors offer a range of selective subjects, so you can really tailor your degree to suit you. You will also have to complete a project unit, either one put on by your school or the generic interdisciplinary SCPU3001. The interdisciplinary project puts you in random groups to work on an industry-specific problem. If you are thinking of honours, third year is reasonably important – it will contribute the most to your SciWam and the specific subjects may lead into research areas. Especially in third year, don’t be afraid to chat to your lecturer!

First and foremost, friends. Explaining or listening to a concept explained by a peer will often drastically change how you understand it, and two sets of eyes make sure that the small assessments don’t fall through the cracks.

Most importantly though, lab or study buddies can look out for one another.

On a personal note, I would not have made it to third year without my lab partners.

Good resources have saved many a student. Several courses have remained largely unchanged for many years (looking at you physics, anatomy and org-chem) so there is a wealth of stuff online. Textbooks are a bit hit-and-miss, so check with your lecturer and borrow from Scitech early to see if they are worthwhile. If you are buying the textbook, always check if you really need the newest edition - often an older online edition does the job for a fraction of the price.

Chip away at the little percentages. It will force you to work consistently and going into the final exam with 50% of your course locked down feels great. The final exams are notoriously large and often difficult, so give yourself the best chance you can.

Engage with undergrads further along your major. While this is pretty

WHAT TO EXPECT IN ANY SCIENCE SUBJECT While the subject matter varies greatly across science units, most share a very similar structure. You will have 2-3 lectures a week accompanied by a lab or tutorial component, for which attendance is often compulsory.

There will often be a series of small online assessments, and occasionally intermittent mini-exams weighted around 15%. Courses with significant lab components will require some form of lab report. There will almost always be a final exam weighted between 40%-70% of your final grade.

1st-2nd year courses are often split into modules which will be taken by a lecturer who is an expert in that field. Your tutors will usually be honours or PAGE 22

INSUFFICIENT PUBLIC FUNDING HAS DRIVEN RESEARCH AWAY FROM THE PURSUIT OF UNDERSTANDING FUNDAMENTALS... GOOD SCIENCE IS OFTEN NOT DIRECTLY PROFITABLE, BUT IS NEVERTHELESS HIGHLY NECESSARY generic advice, you will often find that the content, the assessments and even the teaching of science units rarely changes between years. Content does get rearranged between year, but nevertheless someone in the cohort above you will often have some useful advice. Society events are a great opportunity to meet your peers, and occasionally your school society will have its own subject guides and tips.

Labs and tutorials might suck, but still go if you can. Exams will test content from labs and tutes, and those questions are much-needed freebies.

WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

MUSIC BELINDA THOMAS LETS US KNOW WHAT MUSIC STUDENTS ARE HIDING OVER AT THE CON

SIDENOTE Medical science: for each MEDS unit there is an accompanying science unit.

For example, MEDS2002 runs parallel to PCOL2021. They cover the same content, and often have the same final exam, but for whatever reason the resources for the science courses always seem to be more comprehensive while the MEDS units occasionally have better materials for exam prep.

Finding a study buddy from each stream can be invaluable as you will both benefit greatly.

IN CONCLUSION

Science degrees are staggeringly flexible. Between the 40-odd science majors and the broad range offered by the advanced studies double degree, science students can access almost any and often put it towards a major, so don’t be afraid to make the most of it.

Community building is incredibly important in an age of individualism, and this is especially true in science. Friends, groups and communities really keep science ticking over. From study groups to lab partners all the way through to societies and cohorts, the best way to kick through your degree is with others.

FINALLY, ON A RADICAL NOTE Activism and science have often been perceived as mutually exclusive fields.

One finds the facts, the other fights for social change. However, with climate change looming, public funding in jeopardy and local leadership proving scientifically illiterate, this can no-longer be the case. Scientific models are yielding terrifying predictions for the future which are consistently be ignored or addressed with band-aid fixes. If there is ever a time to go out and fight for the frightening realities we are finding in our work, it is now.

This is not just a climate change issue. Insufficient public funding has driven research away from the pursuit of understanding fundamentals and instead to technological innovations for the pursuit of profit. This sounds extreme but take an example. If you do CHEM1991- SSP chemistry 1A - or PCOL2021 – introduction to pharmacology - you will learn that drug companies do not fund research for low-cost, single-dose cures to malaria, instead opting to continually refresh older compounds for medium-cost, multiple-dose regimes This has denied effective care to those who cannot afford the extremes, most commonly in developing nations. The research, due to a funding vacuum, has fallen to open-source projects such as Open Source Malaria (http:// opensourcemalaria.org/), done by undergraduates worldwide. While it is an exciting and rewarding project, neither governments nor corporations would fund such crucial research, and without action, this precedent will probably be upheld.

Good science is often not directly profitable, but it is nevertheless highly necessary. Please have a look at some of the collectives and grassroots activist organisations on campus. In addition to a legacy of scientific excellence, USYD also has a proud history of activism.

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is Sydney’s epicentre of specialised musical study, encompassing multitudinous pathways and disciplines. Inside one building, young artists are nourished, encouraged, and supported with expertise and intricacy. Impressive facilities from practice rooms to recital halls and Australia’s finest music educators are now at your disposal. At first, the castle can seem confronting, but you’ll soon know it like the back of your hand.

Meanwhile, the friendly Conservatorium Students’ Association (CSA) is always here to help! Here, you’ll be able to receive a world-class education, and enjoy thrilling social events, all while still practicing 40 hours a day.

From Classical to contemporary, you’ll most likely be starting off with both Analysis, History and Culture Studies (AHCS) units, and some form of Music Skills pertaining to your major, as well as your specialisation. These are all designed to broaden your horizons as a young musician. A music degree may arguably have less flexibility than other degrees, but a range of impressive opportunities are constantly available, from chances for global mobility to a host of various Open Learning Environment (OLE) units to extend your skills and knowledge in unexpected areas. For specialised degrees, all the units you’re required to complete in order to receive your degree will be available online in the Conservatorium’s faculty handbook. Many classes at the Con adhere to relatively strict attendance requirements, so make sure you keep an eye out for these - and there’s nothing more helpful than showing up to all of your lectures, tutorials, and lessons!

Don’t let the Con’s disconnection from the ‘main’ campus in Camperdown/Darlington dissuade you; reaching out and getting involved with some clubs and societies will be infinitely rewarding and introduce you to some wonderful new people. Events like interfaculty sport are on each week, and are a fantastic way to branch out. Make sure you join the University of Sydney Union (USU) (for free!) to participate in clubs and societies’ events.

However, don’t fret - the CSA will take good care of you at the Con, with a range of exciting social, wellbeing and constructive events throughout the year, culminating with the annual Con Ball. Sometimes taking a break from the intensity of musical study and meeting some riveting new people is exactly what you need! In addition to this sense of community, the Con’s online presence in the form of Facebook groups including a textbook exchange and a noticeboard, where everything from campus notifications and job opportunities are advertised.

So, enjoy a relaxing practice break in the surrounding Botanical Gardens, grab a coffee from Rusty at Piccolo, and head to your first This is Music lecture with confidence that you’re entering Sydney University’s best castle.

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MEDICINE AND HEALTH

STEFF LEINASARS OFFERS INSIGHT INTO THE MEDICINE AND HEALTH FACULTY MEDICINE & HEALTH

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

The medicine & health faculty has combined multiple disciplines to create an environment to best facilitate interdisciplinary learning and relationships.

Medicine & health encompasses dentistry & oral health, health sciences & allied health, medical sciences, medicine and surgery, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Any interest in these disciplines will lead you on the path to a rewarding career in patient-centred care and interprofessional development, where you will be able to provide a meaningful service and change people’s lives.

No matter what discipline you decide to choose, there are numerous career pathways within the medicine & health faculty. After completion of a Bachelor’s Degree, you may elect to choose honours or a post-graduate course to advance your studies and learning. What career pathways will your discipline take you? There are more options than you’d think! Never limit yourself.

WHY SO MANY FACULTIES? As of 2021, all faculties will be held in the new Susan Wakil building, located next to the Bosch building on the Camperdown campus. This should be taken into consideration when applying for any degree in the aforementioned disciplines, as the satellite campuses, such as Mallet Street or Cumberland, will no longer be in service once the move has occurred.

This merge is a fantastic opportunity in which students will be able to experience first-hand, the interdisciplinary team which may be encountered in the workforce. All disciplines are crucial to the care of the client and many disciplines overlap with each other, as such it is important to gain a good understanding of disciplines other than your own.

COURSE OPPORTUNITIES The medicine & health faculty offers up to 1000 hours of clinical practice for many of their disciplines. This includes clinical placement in a wide variety of health care settings to give students practical experience to accompany knowledge gained in the classroom. Clinical placements can be a valuable experience and often leads to pathways of employment.

IMPORTANT: Unfortunately, clinical placement is not reimbursed and so you will not earn money whilst undertaking any hours of practice. Often placements will be far from your home (up to two hours of travel) and so it is best to take this into consideration when planning your degree. A calendar of placement periods should be available from your individual disciplinary team.

RECOMMENDATIONS Don’t buy your books or equipment new! It can be very expensive to purchase new medical equipment and textbooks. Social media groups are a great way to get anything second-hand from students completing their degree and often will offer their old items for free. Joining groups affiliated with your discipline is a great way to take advantage of this, as well as communicate with people in the same degree as you.

PAGE 24

PHARMACY • community pharmacy • hospital pharmacy • pharmaceutical industry positions in drug development, regulatory affairs or clinical trials • research positions at academic and research institution • government and nongovernment organisation roles • drug safety officer of poisons specialis • regulatory affairs associate.

PUBLIC HEALTH • Australian and international NGO’s such as UNICEF, CARE, Oxfam, Australian Red Cross and Australian Aid • government agencies and state and local health districts • healthcare organisations, such as hospitals and long-term care facilities • private sector companies, such as health insurers and pharmaceutical companies • research positions at academic and research institutions.

HEALTH SCIENCES & ALLIED HEALTH • advocacy • hospitals • mental health and aged care services • private practice • policy making • research • youth and community centres.

MEDICAL SCIENCES • research assistant • pathologist • clinical immunology scientist • pharmacologist • biomedical scientist • histology technician MEDICINE AND SURGERY • clinical practice • medical research • public health • surgery • health education • international aid • industry • health regulation and policy.

NURSING • armed forces • bioethics • government • health insurance • non-government organisations (NGOs) • pharmaceuticals • tertiary education.

DENTISTRY & ORAL HEALTH • oral health therapy • private practice dentistry • public service dentistry, for example in hospitals or schools • research.

WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

COLLECTIVES A QUICK GUIDE TO SOME OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY COLLECTIVES THE WOMEN’S COLLECTIVE (WOCO) The University of Sydney Women’s Collective or WoCo is a feminist collective that organises activism and education both on and off campus. WoCo is unabashedly anti-capitalist, anti-colonial, and radically progressive in our activism. We encourage all feminist students to get involved with our collective, and we are open to all women, queer folk and non-cis men!

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to know more or get involved!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usydwoco/ Instagram: @usydwoco Twitter: @usydwoco Email: usydwomenscollective@gmail.com

AUTONOMOUS COLLECTIVE AGAINST RACISM (ACAR) The Autonomous Collective Against Racism is an autonomous organising space standing in opposition to racism, colonialism, imperialism, and all other forms of oppression. As an autonomous collective, membership is restricted to students who identify as ‘person of colour’, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, and/or feel marked or marginalised by white supremacy.

This, however, does not exclude white people from getting involved with our work, as we actively encourage those who benefit from white supremacy to help out with our campaigns and events. In the spirit of intersectionality, many of these will be run collaboratively with other identity-based collectives. In 2020, we will be organising around issues on and off campus, including Indigenous justice, refugee rights, international students’ issues, international solidarity actions (e.g. Palestinian liberation) and any other anti-racist activities.

You can find us at the Welcome Week stalls or get in contact online at: Email: ethnocultural.officers@src.usyd.edu.au Facebook page: facebook.com/usydacar/ Instagram page: instagram.com/usydacar Twitter page: twitter.com/acarusyd

ENVIRO COLLECTIVE The USyd Enviro Collective is an organisation space involved in climate activism, on and off-campus. We have weekly meetings where we educate and mobilize students for environmental justice. We also run regular stalls, drinks, film screenings and trips to rural communities affected by the water crisis. We meet and organize primarily on Gadigal land, where this handbook was printed, and the collective supports the quest for First Nations sovereignty across this continent and internationally.

On campus we also host discussion/reading groups and workshops with ASEN and other collectives, aiming to expose the corrupt ties that exist between this university and the fossil fuel industry. We believe in anti-hierarchical organising and aim to be inclusive and democratic. We advocate for anti-colonial and anti-capitalist principles, standing in solidarity with indigenous communities, workers and each other.

Please contact us with any questions!

Email: environment.officers@src.usyd.edu.au.

Facebook: USYD Enviro Collective 2020 Instagram: @usyd_enviro

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT COLLECTIVE The International Student Collective is a student body under the SRC that endeavours to advocate for international student welfare within our University and overseas. International students make up roughly 40% of the University’s total undergraduate population and, needless to say, a grossly disproportionate amount of the University’s income.

This year, we are devoting ourselves to fighting to make domestic and international student transport equal. Having paid four times the domestic fee, it is only fair that we are treated at least equally in the society. Some of us come here on scholarships, having financial power that barely supports the enormous daily expenses. This is why we need to provide to those who traveled afar the justice they deserve.

DISABILITIES COLLECTIVE (DISCO) The Disabilities Collective is an autonomous collective of the USyd SRC for undergraduate students who have a disability, defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities as “long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.” This includes people with mental, chronic, or terminal illnesses; people who are neurodivergent; and people who are deaf or hard of hearing, even if you don’t identify as disabled or as having a disability. The Caregivers Network is an initiative for students who provide substantial informal caregiving support to friends or family members who are disabled.

the repeal of Medevac, which was passed November last year, barring essential medical evacuations of people imprisoned in offshore detention. We have also rallied alongside Justice for Refugees in demanding the dissolution of Temporary Protection Visas, which keep onshore refugees in states of limbo, unable to visit family, and with unsure work arrangements. The next major demonstration in support of refugees will be on Palm Sunday, April 5th. It is essential to step up the struggle against this cruel and inhumane government, until every refugee is safe, settled, and free in Australia.

Find us on facebook - Campus Refugee Action Collective USYD [https://www.facebook.com/pg/ refugeeactioncollectiveusyd/photos/?ref=page_ internal]

QUEER ACTION COLLECTIVE (QUAC) The USYD Queer Action Collective is an autonomous activist group fighting for queer rights of students on campus, and in our broader community. We are an anti-colonial group working to address the depths and intersections of, and decolonise, mainstream queer activism, and work with a range of on-campus queer groups as well as community organisations.

In 2020, there are many different issues we would like to focus on, from incarceration to the intersections between queerness and the environment. One of our larger campaigns is opposing the Religious Exemptions Bill, which would further legitimise and protect queerphobic discrimination and actively harm queer people in our everyday lives. We are also campaigning against homophobic actions by members of Campus Security, and as always, ensuring that campus is as safe and welcoming for queer students as possible.

Get in touch! Find us on Facebook at USYD Queer Action Collective (@USYDQueer) to see what we are up to and join our private group. Feel free to email us at queer.officers@src.usyd.edu.au if you have any questions about getting involved, upcoming queer events and activism, or anything else! During semester, we hold weekly meetings in the QueerSpace (Level 1, Manning House) where all queer students can attend - just look out for meeting times in our Facebook group!

Campus Refugee Action Collective (CRAC) is a group of students who organise on and off campus actions fighting for the human rights and freedom of refugees.

We participate in collective action, community initiatives, and promote on campus discussion about progressive immigration and refugee politics.

Recently CRAC has been involved with groups such as the Refugee Action Collective in protest against

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

PAGE 25

WHAT IS THE SRC?

WHAT IS THE STUDENTS’ REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL? We’re the union that represents all undergraduate students at the University of Sydney. We provide a free casework and legal service, lobby the University for better conditions for staff and students, publish the prestigious student newspaper Honi Soit and convene a number of collectives that bring students together on the basis of their identity or the issues they care about.

CASEWORK AND LEGAL SERVICE SRC caseworkers are professional and experienced staff who assist undergraduate students at Cdependent and confidential.

The SRC also has free solicitors and a registered migration agent. They can help you with: •

Centrelink

•

Special Consideration

•

Show Cause and Academic Appeals

•

Plagiarism Allegations

•

Tenancy Problems

•

Immigration Law

•

Criminal matters

COUNCIL, PRESIDENT AND EXECUTIVE Students are represented within the SRC in three ways: councillors, the president and elected officers. 35 councillors and the president are elected directly by students at elections in Semester 2. The SRC council meets monthly to pass motions. There is also an Executive that meets more frequently to oversee the budget. The council elects different office bearers to do different roles, from General Secretary (...me) to Directors of Student Publications. Check out the SRC website to see what sort of office bearers exist and how to contact them.

HONI SOIT Honi Soit is a student newspaper poduced by 10 editors elected every year at the same time as the other SRC elections. It’s available weekly around campus and all its artwork and articles are created by students. The editors put together Australia’s most-read student newspaper, which is the only weekly student newspaper in the country.

Interested in reporting for Honi Soit? Email editors@honisoit.com or (if you’re still at Welcome Week) go visit their stall. Pick up the newspaper around campus or check out the website (honisoit.com) to keep up with the latest student news.

WHAT WE’RE NOT The University The SRC is entirely independent of the University. We are partially funded by the Student Services and Ammenities Fee (SSAF) for which students pay about $150 each semester. It is collected by the University and split up between us and oseveral other student organisations. We’re independent so we can fight for ou against University management when they do things that are against your interest.

The University of Sydney Union (USU)

By Nina Dillon Britton

If you picked up this copy of Counter-Course at Welcome Week, you will have come in contact with the USU. The USU is a different student-run organisation that convenes clubs and societies on campus, as well as managing food and drink outlets.

The National Union of Students (NUS)

Replicated from the 2018 SRC Counter Course

PAGE 26

The SRC is affiliated to the NUS, an umbrella oganisation that represents undergraduate students throughout Australia. We are distinct from it though. Delegates representing Sydney University at the NUS are elected at the same time as other SRC elections.

WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

Need Help?

Ask the SRC. Our caseworkers provide FREE, independent, confidential advice and advocacy for Sydney University undergraduates Academic Rights & Appeals • Special Consideration • Plagiarism / Misconduct Allegations • Centrelink, Debt & Finance advice • HECS Refunds • Tenancy & Accomodation advice • Harrassment & Discrimination support and more...

Students’ Representative Council, University of Sydney Level 1, Wentworth Building (G01), University of Sydney NSW 2006 POS TBox 794 Broadway NSW 2007 U DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE

p: 02 9660 5222 e: help@src.usyd.edu.au w: srcusyd.net.au COUNCIL, UNIVERSITY OF

/usydsrc SYDNEY

@src_usyd

PAGE 27

MEMBERS OF THE QUEER ACTION COLLECTIVE GIVE THE RUNDOWN ON USYD CAMPUS SECURITY’S HOMOPHOBIA PROBLEM The University of Sydney has come under recent media scrutiny for its employment of Simon Hardman - the former Newtown police superintendent discharged on allegations of homophobia and recently found guilty by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Hardman has continued to instigate allegations of homophobia during his employment as head of campus security due to his staffs discriminatory treatment of LGBTI students.

WHO IS SIMON HARDMAN? Simon Hardman was previously the Superintendent of the Newtown Police Command, until 2017 when he was discharged from the force following a complaint of his homophobic conduct from four members of the police force serving under him. He then became Head of Campus Security and Emergency Management at the University of Sydney. Prior to his current employment at the university, Hardman had a close relationship with University management and security and was previously involved in collaboration with University management against student strikes in 2013.

RECENT TRIBUNAL FINDINGS

unlearn homophobia.

WHEN SECURITY MAKES YOU INSECURE

On November 29th, 2019, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal[1] ruled in favour of the four gay police men who lodged a complaint against Hardman, finding that Hardman was “motivated, consciously or unconsciously, to make the complaints… by reason of their homosexuality”, breaching the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

Hardman accused the group of officers of being “notorious for their promiscuity” and possessing “loose morals” and engaging in “reckless behaviour” such as recreational drug use. A secret strike force was created in order to investigate the group who were placed under surveillance for 6 months and subject to random drug testing.

PAGE 28

WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

The officers testified that this treatment stemmed from a wide spread and engrained prejudice within the Newtown police force, all of which returned a negative result. One senior constable recalls being injured and hospitalised after hitting his head on the pavement. Upon his return to work, he was confronted by a manager who remarked: "You should be used to having your head down, arse up in the concrete.” Such flagrant and offensive commentary was common place within the workplace culture under which Simon Hardman presided as superintendent.

THE UNIVERSITY’S MEDIA RESPONSE “The University is aware of the recent ruling involving our Head of Security, and will carefully consider its conclusions. We note this matter occurred before Mr Hardman joined the university.

Any form of discriminatory behaviour will not be tolerated on our campus; the wellbeing of our students, staff and broader community is our first priority.”

A similar message was emailed to the University’s Pride Network

by Vice Chancellor Michael Spence.

CARSLAW BATHROOM INCIDENT On Wednesday 12th December, the University of Sydney Facebook Page received a private message from a student lodging a Security Complaint. The student alleged that at 8pm on Tuesday 11th December, an incident occurred in the Carslaw Toilets with a member of campus security. The complainant described a security guard hitting the door of an accessible bathroom stall yelling ‘security get out’, and continued to yell at the two men who exited the bathroom, ‘You’ve been reported, your going to be charged faggots’. When recommended that Campus Security suspend patrol of the bathrooms in question while an investigation took place, Hardman dismissed it, responding “Of course, we can’t have the patrol officers behaving in the manner that is alleged, however, we should always interrupt public sex acts – no exception,”. This indicates that Hardman is more committed to vigilant morality patrolling than to the safety and wellbeing of students

STU DE NT’S R E PR ESE NTATIVE COU NCIL , U NIVE RSIT Y OF SYDNEY

STATEMENT FROM THE QUEER ACTION COLLECTIVE As a body obliged to ensure the safety of Queer Students on campus, the Queer Action Collective (QUAC) cannot help but be concerned by the findings of the NSW tribunal and the allegations more broadly. The Queer Action Collective QUAC strongly condemns these actions, as well as the harmful complacency demonstrated by the University of Sydney in refusing to take action against him. The position of Head of Security, in charge of providing security for the university’s 50000+ strong student body (a sizeable portion of which identify as LGBTI) is a duty of care that must not be taken lightly. According to Beyond Blue, LGBTI people in Australia are twice as likely to experience violence compared to their heterosexual peers, this makes the provision of LGBTI friendly security services ever more crucial to ensuring student safety on campus. The homophobic behaviour displayed in the past by Hardman’s security staff, in the event of a queerphobic attack or sexual assault on campus, LGBTI students are unlikely to feel safe relying on campus security for help. The continued employment of a man with a proven track record of homophobia such as Hardman constitutes a violation of the university’s duty of care to its LGBTI student community.

Furthermore, it contradicts the university’s self-proclaimed progressive values. The universities own LGBTI policy states “We know there is always work to be done and complacency is not an option. Our ongoing goal is to embed support within our policies, processes, systems and culture”. QUAC suggests the university takes a leaf out of their own handbook and begins to take seriously the safety of one of its most vulnerable student groups.

Until then, its public celebration of LGBTI rights, such as the pro-same-sex marriage advertisement featured as apart of its “unlearn” ad campaign, amounts to nothing more than the rainbow washing of a still deeply regressive and indeed homophobic institution.

PAGE 29

STUDENTS’ REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL LEGAL SERVICE

Did you know, Sydney University students* can get FREE legal advice?

SRC solicitors provide undergraduate students at the University of Sydney with FREE legal advice, representation in court where relevant, and a referral service. We can assist you with a range of legal issues including: Criminal law, Immigration law, Employment law, Traffic offences, Insurance law, Victims compensation and more.

Ask the SRC Legal Service! *SUPRA offers assistance to USyd postgraduate students

SRC Legal Service PAGE 30

Level 1, Wentworth Building (G01), University of Sydney NSW 2006 PO Box 794 Broadway NSW 2007

p: 02 9660 5222 int: 12871 e: solicitor@src.usyd.edu.au w: srcusyd.net.au

/usydsrc WELCOME WEEK HANDBOOK 2020

@src_usyd

CONTRIBUTORS EDITORIAL TEAM

LIAM THOMAS, ABBEY SHI & LIAM DONOHOE

DESIGN & LAY UP

LIAM THOMAS, LIAM DONOHOE, VIVIENNE GUO, BOB HE & CARRIE WEN, WITH THANKS TO THE PUBLICATIONS MANAGERS, MICKIE AND AMANDA.

COVER ART PAOLA AYRE

WRITERS

LIAM THOMAS ABBEY SHI LIAM DONOHOE CHARLOTTE BULLOCK JAMES CAMPBELL DANE LUO ANGELINA GU

PRUDENCE WILKINS-WHEAT TOM WILLIAMS MANJERRA KAN BELINDA THOMAS STEFF LEINASARS NINA DILLON BRITTON

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Artwork by Amelia Mertha

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COUNTER COURSE THE FOLLOWING SECTION OF THIS PUBLICATION HAS BEEN COLLATED AND PUT TOGETHER BY THE SRC’S 2020 EDUCATION OFFICERS, JAZZLYN BREEN AND JACK MANSELL. THE AUTHORS OF THE FOLLOWING PIECES ARE MEMBERS OF THE EDUCATION ACTION GROUP, AN ON CAMPUS ACTIVIST COLLECTIVE WHICH ORGANISES AROUND A NUMBER OF POLITICAL ISSUES. TO GET INVOLVED OR KEEP IN TOUCH YOU CAN FIND US ON FACEBOOK: SYDNEY UNIVERSITY EDUCATION ACTION GROUP. THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHORS’ OPINIONS ONLY, NOT NECESSARILY THE EDUCATION OFFICERS, THE EDUCATION ACTION GROUP OR THE SRC.

CONTENTS STUDENTS AGAINST UNPAID PLACEMENTS - PAGES 34-35 2019: A YEAR OF GLOBAL REBELLION - PAGE 36 FIGHTING THE MORRISON GOVERNMENT - PAGE 37 SANDSTONE DOESN’T BURN: BUT COLLEGE CULTURE SHOULD - PAGES 38-39 USYD TIED TO ARMS INDUSTRY - PAGES 40-41 WELCOME TO YOUR NEW NEOLIBERAL UNIVERSITY - PAGES 41-42 STUDENT RADICALISM - PAGE 44 LIVING IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS - PAGE 45 ENROLLING IN THE UPPER-CLASS - PAGES 46-47 COLOURED SHIELDS: RACISM IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOUR - PAGES 48-49

STUDENTS AGAINST UNPAID PLACEMENTS GEORGIA MANTLE - STUDENTS AGAINST UNPAID PLACEMENTS CO-FOUNDER. Students Against Unpaid Placements is a grassroots collective of students who want to abolish unpaid placements within higher education. Unpaid placements are a core component of health, teaching and social work degrees. As accredited degrees these disciplines are required to meet educational standards set by professional accrediting bodies. These bodies dictate what universities must include in their curriculum for the degree to be accredited. Social work, occupational therapy and podiatry students are all currently required to complete 1000 hours of unpaid placement. Nursing students must complete 880 hours. Teaching and physiotherapy students must complete over 500 and 700 hours respectively. These hours are all prescribed by the professional accreditation bodies of each discipline.

Students are required to pay tuition fees during unpaid placements, leaving them in thousands of dollars of debt while they work for free.

Placements provide essential learning experiences for students. They teach practical skills and allow us to apply what we have learnt in class.

Universities and professional accreditation bodies argue that placements are not work, rather they are learning experiences and therefore should not be paid. Whilst placements are learning opportunities, they are also a form of labour which would be recognised by a wage under any other circumstance. Learning vs working is a false dichotomy used to exploit the labour of students. Learning doesn’t stop once we finish our degrees as we continue to learn throughout our professional and personal lives.

The view that placements are learning and therefor not work is also completely divorced from the reality of placements, where students are expected to actively participate and engage with the work of the placement organisation. In social work students are told that their placement work

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should not be work that could be done by a paid worker, yet are also told that their placement can not be observational, leaving the work that should be done by students unclear.

These unpaid placements naturally favour students from wealthier families who can afford to work for no wage. Students from poorer backgrounds and those not supported by their families are often forced to work double shifts, going from a full day of placement work to a full evening of external paid work. This means many students do not get weekends off as they are forced to work every chance they can to support themselves. Too often students are forced into poverty with no support from the very universities or accreditation bodies that force them into this poverty.

For too long students have accepted these unpaid placements as the norm, refusing to resist the forced unpaid labour despite an overall sense that it is unfair. In 2018, thousands of students in Quebec participated in a week long strike against unpaid placements. 55, 000 Students across Quebec walked out of their classes and boycotted their placements in the effort to get their placements paid and received the benefits of a paid job like protection under labour laws. This is the sort of radical action that students in Australia must take to fight against unpaid placements.

Students across disciplines must consider withdrawing their labour and forcing educational bodies and governments to see how much students unpaid labour contributes to our fields.

Like the Students Against Unpaid Placements campaign page to follow our campaign and message that page to get involved.

E LOC U OM ND O K2 20 02 20 0 C O U N T E RW C R ES EW EHEAK NHDA B OBOO K

“ I USED TO BUY $2 MEAL REPLACEMENT SHAKES FROM ALDI SO I WOULDN’T HAVE TO SPEND MONEY ON GROCERIES OR FOOD DURING THE DAY.”

“I HAD TO GO STRAIGHT FROM UNI CLASSES EVERY FORTNIGHT ON MONDAY STRAIGHT TO WORK AND ON THE SPARE MONDAY I WENT TO WORK. AS MY CURRENT EMPLOYMENT IS MON-FRI (9AM-5PM) IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND WEEKEND WORK AND I STRUGGLED. I FOUND SOME WEEKEND WORK SO I LITERALLY WAS WORKING EVERY OTHER DAY I WASN'T AT PLACEMENT AND AT PLACEMENT I SOMETIMES WAS UNABLE TO HAVE A LUNCH BREAK OR I WORKED LATER HOURS.”

EXPERIENCE WON’T PAY THE RENT “MY EXPERIENCE OF BEING ON AN UNPAID PLACEMENT I CAN HONESTLY SAY WAS THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY ENTIRE LIFE….

I WOULDN’T CALL THIS [MY PLACEMENT] LEARNING AS I HAD TO GO OFF WHAT I HAD PREVIOUSLY LEARNT, I’D CALL IT A ‘FREE WORK COVER’ FOR MY SUPERVISORS”

“WE ARE WORKING 8-4 EVERY WEEKDAY, AND THE ONLY OTHER TIME WE CAN ACTUALLY GET PAID TO WORK IS WEEKENDS, MEANING SOME OF US ARE WORKING 7 DAYS A WEEK AND ONLY BEING PAID FOR 2 OF THEM.”

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2019: A YEAR OF GLOBAL REBELLION OWEN MARSDEN-READFORD 2019 was the year that mass revolts returned to the world stage. After years of neoliberal attacks, oppression and the simple humiliation of knowing that your life is being made worse so the richest can have more and more, the mass of people are fighting back. From Alaa Salah leading thousands in chants of thawra in defiance of a brutal dictatorship, to students of Hong Kong Polytechnic university fighting off a militarised police force with homemade catapults, the enduring image of 2019 is one of defiant young protestors. Last year, roughly a quarter of countries experienced mass protests, and these revolts have spanned from Africa to the Middle East to South America.

These revolts have toppled dictators, and at times challenged the entire logic of capitalism. In Lebanon, months of anti-government protests have directly challenged a system steeped in religious

Key to these revolts have been students. They have been the spark. University students and young workers in Ecuador have given the lead in the fight back against the government’s cuts to social spending. University campuses in Sudan became organising centers for future protests and actions. They functioned as democratic meeting space, where people from all backgrounds collectively charted a path forward. What a difference to the desolate grey of Eastern Avenue! Students have been some of the most radical, most committed fighters against oppression the world over. Even in Australia, youth have been at the forefront of the massive climate strikes and the fight for climate justice, like students the world over. Over the summer, university students led demonstrations of tens of thousands in opposition to the coal-fondling Scott Morrison and his criminal inaction during the bushfire crisis.

THROUGH REVOLT, PEOPLE CAN AND WILL FIGHT BACK. and racial discrimination and separation, breaking down old lines that pitted Sunni against Shia against Christian. Instead, people have banded together in a conscious rejection of these religious and racial divisions. The politics of solidarity and the struggle for a better world have replaced the politics of divide.

Instead, the real divide in society, of rulers and the ruled, of oppressor and oppressed has become clear. In Chile, protestors and strikers have fought of waves of police violence and disappearances - even turning a common injury, a wounded eye, into a symbol of resistance. Students in Hong Kong are ‘like water’, constantly evolving methods of avoiding police brutality.

Governments across the world have shot at, abused and derided those protesting for a better world. Yet, people have resisted.

Everyday life under capitalism forces us to be isolated, subject to the whims of bosses and criminal governments. It shackles people with the chains of racism, sexism, homophobia and oppression. Yet, 2019 and the beginnings of 2020 have shown that it does not have to be like this. Through revolt, people can and will fight back. Such a fighback shows another way forward.

A beautiful example of this is the anti-fascist anthem Bella Ciao.

Seemingly every revolt has sung this song of resistance. It has been proclaimed across the world in almost a dozen languages, from the Indian revolts against the fascist BJP to the Sardines movement in Italy. There is beauty in resistance. In Australia, one of the most racist and oppressive states in the world such a movement is sorely needed. So join the fight, like students around the world, our time will come too.

AND ALL THOSE WHO SHALL PASS… WILL TELL YOU WHAT A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER IT IS… AND THIS FLOWER OF THE PARTISAN… IS THE FLOWER OF LIBERTY. - BELLA CIAO

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FIGHTING THE MORRISON GOVERNMENT JACK MANSELL - 2020 EDUCATION OFFICER The Morrison government is a many-headed hydra. While his criminal handling of the bushfire crisis may be most jarring, it is no coincidence that the same man who infamously fondled a lump of coal in parliament has spent his time in power also going after LGBTQ people, women, Aboriginal people and workers alike. Morrison’s social-reactionary rule for the rich agenda means that students, workers, and oppressed people alike have an urgent stake in bringing down this government.

Amongst other things, Morrison has already attacked the rights of LGBTQ people and women to access healthcare and education, attempted to introduce dictatorial state control over trade unions, awarded rape apologist Bettina Arndt an Order of Australia, cut $326 million from an already struggling TAFE system, and reopened the Christmas Island detention centre in order to deport a Tamil family back to certain danger.

Students can and must play a leading role in the fight against this vicious right-wing regime. In the process we can turn ourselves into an untouchable layer in society, and one that can give confidence and energy to every struggle. We need to terrify the Morrison government, to be a power so strong that they don’t dare touch us or anyone else they want to oppress.

That doesn’t mean waiting until the government cuts education, or other narrowly ‘student’ issues. It means throwing ourselves into every struggle we can right now, and preparing ourselves to fight anything they throw at us.

Because for ordinary people, our only option is to organise and fight. We can’t wait for another election, where the Liberal and Labor parties offer

nothing but variations of the same climate vandalism, refugee-bashing and neoliberalism. We also can’t afford to compromise. The stakes around climate, living standards, and oppression, are too high. Our task must be to rid the world of all injustice, not accept lesser-evils and half-measures.

For the last 18 months, it has been the climate movement that has begun to stir rebellion against the Morrison government, and students have led the way. In March, September, December and January, rallies of tens of thousands of people have brought masses of ordinary people into the fight for climate justice, and in turn brought them into direct confrontation with climate criminals like Morrison and Albanese.

Every victory for this climate movement is a victory for everyone in Morrison’s sights. The muscle we build in our fight for the planet only strengthens our fight for LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, workers rights, and every fight we face. Undoubtedly, the political crisis that the climate movement has created around the bushfires will both strengthen our ability to fight against religious discriminations, and undermine the government’s confidence to gut education, healthcare, or anything else they want to undermine.

The 50,000 people who turned out in Sydney to bring Morrison down, including tens of thousands of students and young people, are a beacon of resistance, and an example of the strategy we need to win on every front. If we are to rid ourselves of the barbaric worldview that Morrison embodies, our only choice is to fight.

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SANDSTONE DOESN’T BURN: VIVIENNE GUO CW: Graphic accounts of sexual violence and hazing In 1977, an 18 year old girl was found raped and murdered on the oval at St Paul’s College. In the decades since, throwing dead fish on first years, setting fire to pubic hair and ejaculating into shampoo bottles, have all remained part of a deep-rooted hazing culture at the University of Sydney colleges, St Paul’s, St John’s, St Andrew’s, Wesley, Sancta Sophia and the Women’s College. In 2012, 30 St John’s residents nearly killed a peer in a hazing ritual. And yet nothing has changed.

Simply put, the colleges are elitist and deeply sexist institutions that mostly house the wealthy and privileged. They are notorious for being hotbeds of sexual violence and hazing. Sexual violence is concerned with power and power structures not only enable the violence but fuel it by silencing survivors and protecting perpetrators. What has the University done? ViceChancellor Michael Spence, certainly doesn’t give a fuck. He’s previously said that the University is powerless to stop the violent hazing that happens at the start of every year. The lack of repercussions makes for a complete lack of accountability within colleges and a lack of support for survivors.

WoCo’s Dismantle the Colleges campaign has been one of our most radical and necessary campaigns to date. The burning need for structural change was made clear by End Rape on Campus’ Red Zone Report (2018), which draws attention to the horrors that universities seek to keep out of the public eye for fear that they will impact enrolment numbers and thus the University’s revenue. Women and vulnerable students are forced to bear the brunt of this; that is the cost of the University of Sydney saving face.

At the colleges, students pay $30,000 a year in rent, ensuring that only the rich are able to buy their way into their hallowed halls. Amongst this highly privileged demographic, most of the residents are white men, usually from a small pool of private schools in Sydney. It is no secret that boys’ private schools often allow for the misogynistic ‘old boys’ mentality. Case in point is the Wesley College journal from 2016 which ranked women on attractiveness and repeatedly called them “bitches”, “sluts”, and “hoes.”

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BUT COLLEGE CULTURE SHOULD This misogyny is enabled in elite private schools and it doesn’t end there; it is encouraged in the colleges and this experience is carried throughout a working life in positions of high authority in politics, business, and the media. The existence of the colleges and their $30,000 entry fee is made even more abhorrent by the student housing crisis. Many students are forced to sleep in places like Fisher Library, where they live in a state of perpetual uncertainty and anxiety. There is no doubt that the colleges are a shocking misuse of resources. They sit on rent-free Crown land, protected by state legislation that is over 160 years out of touch, born of a time where universities belonged solely to the wealthy elite, allowing the colleges to thrive ‘in perpetuity’. These laws also enshrine the selfgovernance of the six largest colleges, ensuring that hazing and sexual violence are ‘handled’ by institutions whose best interests lie with public image and not with survivors.

In the knowledge of all this, I would happily chime into chants of “burn down the colleges.” But of course we don’t want to literally burn down the colleges.

Nor do we want to physically tear down the buildings, brick by brick. But the colleges as they are, with their blase attitude to misogynistic traditions and rape culture, cannot be allowed to stand. The entire system must be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up, to provide safe, affordable public housing for students who need it most. Epidemics of rape, hazing and bullying won’t just vanish with the archaic colleges by themselves either.

Universities still have a long way to go in terms of action, to pull these problems out root and stem, and it must start with the colleges.

We don’t want to burn down the colleges. Sandstone doesn’t burn. But they must be abolished. Nothing short of closing the colleges will sufficiently address issues of student safety, sexual violence, hazing, misogyny and elitism.

To survivors: we see you. We believe you. We support you. We will fight for a better world.

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USYD TIED TO ARMS INDUSTRY WORDS: LARA SONNENSCHEIN THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN HONI SOIT. Our Federal government is engaging in the biggest defence build-up since the Second World War. In the 2016 Defence White Paper, the Australian government outlined an 81 per cent increase in the defence budget over the next decade, translating to an additional $29.9 billion and the hiring of 4400 new Australian Defence Force employees. Recently, Prime Minister Turnbull announced his government will invest $3.8 billion into the arms manufacturing industry, in the hopes that Australia will break into the top ten weapons exporters worldwide. At the same time, Turnbull is slashing $2.2 billion from higher education.

RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS Amid cuts to higher education and broader corporatisation, universities have turned to research partnerships to make up the revenue lost from public funding. And with Australia’s newfound embracing of the arms industry, weapons companies are proving attractive bedfellows.

For example, Lockheed Martin (the largest arms manufacturer worldwide) established its first Centre for Research outside the US at the University of Melbourne. UK arms manufacturer BAE Systems is set to follow in Lockheed’s footsteps after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UniMelb in February this year for the construction of a technology hub at Fishermans Bend, Victoria.

Similarly, Adelaide University, Flinders University and the University of South Australia form part of the Joint Open Innovation Network (JOIN), funded by BAE Systems, which aims to offer new engineering scholarships, internships, and industry placements for undergraduate students. This $10 million initiative will also see the introduction of defence-focused courses, research and development.

Closer to home, in late 2017 USyd along with six other New South Wales universities founded a defence research network. With $1.25 million in State government funding, the network aims to increase collaboration across universities and bolster connections between government, industry and academia in the defence sector. As part of the scheme, the seven founding universities will each provide two PhD scholarships for defencerelated research projects.

The University of Sydney also has links with weapon manufacturers in its own right. Our chancellor, Belinda Hutchinson, is the chairwoman of weapons company Thales Australia. Last year, USyd signed an MOU with Thales so the two can collaborate more closely over the next five years.

When I questioned the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Duncan Ivision about this, he assured me that all conflicts of interest had been resolved.

He downplayed the MOU by emphasising that communication lines between the University and the company were simply “open”, whilst refusing to reveal any ongoing projects with Thales.

UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRINCIPAL DR MICHAEL SPENCE AND THALES AUSTRALIA COUNTRY DIRECTOR AND CEO CHRIS JENKINS SIGN A 2017 MOU AGREEMENT.

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The head of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Stefan Williams, however, revealed that the School has entered into ongoing programmes with Thales, but that they are “confidential”.

The School hosts the Sydney Industry Placement Scholarship (SIPS) as an optional part of their honours programme which effectively doubles as an internship, with $18,000 paid to selected students who then spend six months working for various aerospace, mechanical and mechatronics companies. The School is also in talks with large weapons companies including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Honeywell who seek to expand the SIPS programme for fourth year engineering students.

INVESTMENTS Aside from research partnerships, the University also has investments in several arms manufacturing companies. Documents obtained under freedom of information laws show that USyd holds short term investment positions in several arms manufacturers worldwide. A number of these are ASX top 100 companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Electric, Rockwell Collins, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company.

A GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ATTEND A HONEYWELL SUMMER SCHOOL CAMP IN 2014, SUPPORTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NSW; UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY; UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY; UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY; MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY; AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG.

At the end of 2017, the total amount invested was $15,173.20. More sinister is the list of the university’s long term investment positions when cross referenced with the top 100 arms manufacturers worldwide.

Companies included are CSRA, DynCorp International, Fluor Corp, Engility, Rolls-Royce, ThyssenKrupp, United Technologies Corp and Honeywell International amounting to a total of $4,035,416.72 as at the end of 2017.

Of that figure, $3,353,084.84 was invested in Honeywell. Interestingly, Honeywell has repeatedly surfaced in the the USyd Engineering Faculty’s promotional material. USyd also sponsors a Honeywell summer school programme for senior high school students. This programme is an opportunity for students to learn the fundamentals of engineering and includes site visits and talks from private corporations.

Honeywell is the company that developed cluster bombs during the Vietnam War which have killed over 20,000 people since. They are also part of the consortium that operates the Pantex plant, where all the United States’ nuclear bombs are assembled. Honeywell provides the engine for the MQ-9 drone, the world’s deadliest UAV, which is responsible for civilian deaths in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. New Zealand Super Fund recently divested from Honeywell, citing ethical concerns.

The University also opts into Vanguard’s International Shares Select Exclusions Index Fund, which holds investments in over 1500 different companies. While promoting itself as an ‘ethical’ fund, it maintains significant investments in Raytheon ($452,535.49), Rolls Royce ($133,333.90), ThyssenKrupp ($102,069.92) and Thales ($100,896.14), as at the 18th of March this year.

“IT IS UNSURPRISING THAT UNIVERSITIES ARE STRENGTHENING THEIR LINKS WITH ARMS COMPANIES: OUR CHANCELLOR SITS ON THE BOARD OF A WEAPONS MANUFACTURER”

UNIVERSITIES AS ANTI-WAR INSTITUTIONS It is unsurprising that universities are strengthening their links with arms companies: our Chancellor sits on the board of a weapons manufacturer and our Vice-Chancellor’s salary is $1.44 million. Universities are operating under a neoliberal framework which ultimately comes from the highest echelons of government. With the Turnbull government motivated by this agenda, and the Labor party offering ineffective opposition, this is unlikely to change in the near term.

There is also disturbing bipartisan support for Australia’s ‘defence’ and ‘security’, whether through maintaining the US-Australia alliance or our torturous refugee policy that sees innocent people languishing in offshore island gulags in the name of border security.

Students, the most important stakeholder in the education debate, should demand that they be anti-war institutions. In fact, as universities are increasingly active in broader society than they have ever been, we need to demand that USyd not fund death and destruction via research and investments.

It’s time to revive the anti-war sentiment of the 60s on our campuses.

The University must divest from corporations like Honeywell, and instead fund research which improves lives, rather than destroys them. So while universities might be strengthening their ties, it is we students who hold the collective power to sever them and disarm USyd.

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WELCOME TO YOUR NEW NEOLIBERAL UNIVERSITY EDDIE STEPHENSON ON THE CORPORATE AGENDA OF MODERN UNIVERSITIES As the season of open days, enrolments, o-weeks and endless promotional emails grinds on, many of 2020’s new undergraduate students will already be feeling the first strains of disillusionment with Australia’s universities. For many, the notion of tertiary education as a place and time for unfettered learning, exploration and contribution to a broader effort for human good. This image, presented by well-meaning teachers and family members and reiterated in the universities’ own advertising, has been a light at the end of the tunnel during a final, hellishly stressful year of high school. The reality, by comparison, is hardly inspiring.

Very quickly it becomes apparent that the neoliberal university is an understaffed and exorbitantly expensive degree factory, in which students are increasingly expected to foot the bill for their own transformation into assets for the Australian economy.

To understand the neoliberalisation of tertiary education, and how to fight against it, it is first necessary to examine the historical role of tertiary institutions within the broader social and economic system of capitalism. The vision of the university as a centre for creative inquiry, education and human dignity has no basis in the historical record. Rather, education institutions

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“CORPORATE, FOR-PROFIT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY UNIVERSITY GOVERNING BODIES CAST THE UNIVERSITY AS A BUSINESS, AND STUDENTS AS ATOMISED CUSTOMERS TO BE SOLD DEGREES AT A PREMIUM RATE.”

are the products of capitalism’s social relations, instrumental for their role in acclimatising students to repressive authority, and aiding the division of labour. They ensure, through the effects of income, that students are retained in the same class position and often the same professional roles as their families; and subsequently prepare students with the skills required to be efficiently exploited in the workforce.

What does this look like under neoliberalism? Corporate, for-profit management strategies adopted by university governing bodies cast the university as a business, and students as atomised customers to be sold degrees at a premium rate. Far from allowing diverse intellectual pursuits to blossom, courses deemed less profitable are frequently cut; funding for courses is overwhelmingly determined by their utility to capitalism, via deals between university executives and the private sector. This logic is evident in the recently announced collaboration between the 150-million-dollar University of Sydney Nano Institute and the Australian air force to “modernise Australia’s defence capacity”. It makes itself clear in the endless negotiations between university executives and the Ramsay Centre, attempting, against the calls of staff and students, to secure a slice of the racist “western civilisation” degree’s $3.3 billion budget. It is no surprise to see Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson justify even public funding for universities on the basis that skilled university-graduates help the Australian economy “keep [its] foot on the productivity pedal”. Rest assured, however, that these unimaginable sums of money are quickly reinvested into crucial university resources, such as USyd vice-chancellor Michael Spence’s $1.4 million annual salary.

Meanwhile, working class students are shouldered with increasingly high levels of debt in the form of HECS-HELP fees, all while struggling with increasing costs of living, long working hours and inadequate student welfare payments. Supposedly a lifeline for students, Youth Allowance is meted out in accordance with deliberately labyrinthine eligibility requirements, and even once you’ve met them, payments are set at a punishingly low rate well below the poverty line. Singled out for special exploitation are full-fee international students, who generate $4 billion in revenue for Australian universities annually. These students are legally limited to 20 working hours per week, denied access to student concessions and welfare, and provided with inadequate academic support.

The outcome of this neoliberal stranglehold on student incomes is that one in seven students surveyed in 2017 said they regularly go without food or other necessities, and tertiary students make up almost 10 percent of all homeless Australians. If nothing else, the image of the starving uni student holds up when tested against the neoliberal reality.

These attacks on student welfare are coupled with increasingly degraded working conditions for university staff. As the slogan goes, staff teaching conditions are student learning conditions. But the neoliberal university cares very little about teaching or learning. More important is the creation of a highly casualised and chronically overtaxed workforce to cut every possible cost associated with the actual education done at university. Staff to student ratios at Australian universities have crept steadily upwards since the 1990s, while the NTEU confirms that 40-50 percent of all full-time equivalent teaching staff in Australia are employed on a casual basis, without paid leave or funding to research the subjects they teach. These conditions decrease the quality of degrees offered by universities, as staff are expected to do more teaching with vastly less time, resources and support than ever before, driven by their own sense of responsibility for their students.

Yet in the face of this sweeping inequity and exploitation, the fight continues to realise the university’s potential as a place for collective action against the injustices of neoliberal capitalism. As recently as 2014, staff and students fought and won against fee deregulation proposed federally through a staunch protest movement. Students have mobilised under the banner of Cancel Trimesters in their thousands. More recently, Macquarie Uni’s staff and student protest against the dissolution of the Faculty of Human Sciences was the largest seen on the campus in years. It’s only through throwing ourselves into this fight, and every other fight that follows, that we can realise that glowing image of university: a place for learning, a place for exploration, a place for contribution to human good.

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STUDENT RADICALISM GRACE BOWSKILL AND ALEX PANZARINO On the 20th of September 2019, millions marched around the world against the destruction of our planet. Here at USyd, roughly 2,000 marched from Fisher Library, through the city all the way to The Domain. Images of young people marching with placards and banners drew comparisons with the student movements of the late 1960s, during which many students took up radical politics, and in some cases triggered more widespread societal protest. Around the world, the wave of political revolt has accelerated, shaking the pillars of global capitalism: from Chile, to France, to Iraq and Hong Kong. And just as in the 60s, it has been been students that have sparked or helped to prolong the movements threatening the established order. As a social layer, students have demonstrated they have the ability to oxygenate the flame of rebellion.

union became a safehouse for draft resisters. This necessitated the re-imagining of the union-building into an improvised fortress, furnished with barricades and garrisoned by brigades of volunteer student-patrols. Closer to home at Usyd, the lawns adjacent the Quadrangle regularly drew thousands of students, joined by tradeunionists, university staff, and clergy members united in their opposition to conscription. At such congregations, ‘treasonable and seditious’ pamphlets informing readers how to avoid the draft were candidly circulated, while fervent debate was conducted as to how best draw unions into the struggle. Weekly marches from Usyd to the CBD were conducted. The Commonwealth Centre (now Chifley Tower) was the favoured target for occupation, with thousands of students frequently clashing with hundreds of cops.

Students first became engaged in the embryonic social struggles The campus-based radicalism of the 60s erupted onto the of the 1960s due to a number of factors. The modernization of international stage once again in 2019. In Chile, the Pinera capitalist economies the world over required an educated workforce, government upped the price of public transport by thirty pesos, the leading to a massive expansion of the university sector. More and latest in a decades-long string of neoliberal reforms. In response, more young people could attend high-schoolers in Santiago poured university, as opposed to the into the city’s train-stations, privileged few that were allowed “STUDENTS ALONE CANNOT HOPE TO making a mockery of the turnstiles in before. While universities were a campaign of massTOPPLE THE GLOBAL STRUCTURES through democratised, their curricula were fare evasion. These protests OF INJUSTICE AND INEQUALITY. YET, were quickly expanded and came not. Students were educated under the assumption that they would to include workers, with the now AS DEMONSTRATED BY 60 YEARS become productive workers and student-occupied metros allowing OF STUDENT STRUGGLES, THEY CAN all passengers free transit. Los loyal functionaries of the capitalist system.

SUPPORT THOSE STRUGGLING FOR Estudiantes Nos Ensenan A Ser Valientes’ (Students teach us to be A RADICAL TRANSFORMATION OF brave) became a rallying cry for The reality of inequality, social SOCIETY.” many protestors. turmoil and high imperial tensions and butted up against the sterile image of liberal democratic society students learned about in Across the Pacific, as part of the broader movement against university. A sense of alienation and the growth of counterculture encroaching CPC control in Hong Kong, students in the Polytechnic was one outcome of this. But for those looking for more radical University have contended with riot police for control of the campus. answers to the problems of society, the anti-racist struggles in the For a few weeks in November, a form of miniaturized self-governance United States, the fight of the Vietnamese Liberation Front and prevailed; students erected palisades and barricaded entrances in rising class struggle in countries such as Italy and France became preparation for the next confrontation with state authorities. No wall lightning rods. was without a slogan – ‘Liberty or Death’, ‘Ideas Are Bulletproof’, ‘Free Hong Kong’. When asked about their decision to take their In the latter half of the 60s, millions came to identify with these stand on the campus, one student replied that “the University is movements and the politics they represented. In Australia, the our home. We must protect our home.” They conducted desperate threat of being drafted and sent off to die for an imperialst war last-ditch skirmishes against the police, firing home-made Molotov was an enicing reason to become involved in political activity. cocktails using hastily constructed catapults. This show of mettle by Anti-war marches reached their peak in 1970, drawing from years the students drew further layers of Hong Kong’s population behind of student activism around the issue. In addition, stop work strikes the struggle, as teachers and other workers aided them in their and industrial disputes by Australian workers reached a high point defence. in the latter half of the decade, undoubtedly spurred on by the atmosphere of defiance that the student movement fostered.

Students alone cannot hope to topple the global structures of injustice and inequality. Yet, as demonstrated by 60 years of The anti-Vietnam War movement created a state of open rebellion student struggles, they can support those struggling for a radical on some campuses in Australia. At Melbourne University, the student transformation of society.

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LIVING IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS YASMINE JOHNSON This decade opened with Australia ablaze. By January 7th, 2020, 24 deaths had been caused by the fires, and nearly five million acres of NSW was on fire or had already been burnt. At the same time, Indonesia was experiencing its worst floods in over a decade, with 173,000 Jakarta residents forced to seek refuge. Neither of these tragic events can truly be called 'natural disasters'. In Australia, the government was repeatedly warned that this fire season was to be worse than previously seen.

Government reports written 11 years ago predicted that bushfires would start earlier and increase in intensity from 2020. But lack of action on climate change is no accident. In fact, the scale of these disasters can only be understood as the result of systematic and purposeful denial of scientific consensus by the ruling elite.

200 million by 2050. First Nations people, and oppressed groups across Australia, are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

Climate crisis can no longer be discussed in hypothetical terms. It's already here, and the catastrophic opening scenes of 2020 are surely only a precursor to the events that the rest of the decade will bring. In Australia, the climate crisis looks like Indigenous families forced onto a dysfunctional cashless welfare system who unable to access necessities because internet is down in disaster-stricken areas. The climate crisis looks like the arming of police with military-style assault rifles. It looks like the $4 billion spent each year on 'border protection' annually, while the number of climate refugees increases every year, and is predicted to reach up to

So if there's any time to join the movement for climate justice, it's now, and the way to do it is to be involved in mass rallies. Through protest, ordinary people, who are already experiencing the effects of climate change, prove that we are not just 'quiet Australians'. We refuse to suffer in silence, and the long tradition of struggle against oppression worldwide shows us the way to fight back.

These attacks on human rights demand conscious, organised resistance.

The fossil fuel industry has got to go, and it's going to require struggle on a huge scale. Politicians and mining magnates are not going to have their profits pried from their hands without a fight, and while we burn, both Liberal and Labor are promising to herald in further expansion of the fossil fuel industry. The future of the planet must not be left in the hands of these climate criminals - there's no solution to our crisis in parliament or in 'green capitalism'. What we need is not plans for the infinite growth of profit, it's system change.

That's why I'm supporting the March 13th National Student Climate Strike - I'll see you there.

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Last year, I volunteered for the University of Sydney’s (USyd) LINK program, which connects low socioeconomic (low-SES), regional, and First Nations high school students with tertiary education opportunities. On one day, I was giving a campus tour of USyd to students from Chifley College, a school in Mt Druitt, Western Sydney.

Its enrolment comprises 80% of students who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and 17% First Nations students.

The boys had been jovial throughout the tour. When we were opposite the Law Lawns, the group stopped me. A few nudged each other, and one spoke up.

“Where are all the people who look like us?”

ENROLLING IN THE UPPER-CLASS PRUDENCE WILKINS-WHEAT

I was immediately embarrassed and surprised. Had he noticed, based on our measly 30 minute tour, that USyd’s First Nations enrolment amounted to less than 1%?

It is undeniable that USyd has a reputation for being uppity. In an online survey taken by current HSC students, USyd’s reputation oscillates between “good” and “snobby”. The term “elitism” appears ten times, “pretentious” three times, and “conservative/traditional” seven times.

A student from a school in Parramatta described USyd as full of “private school pricks,” one from Bardwell Park associated it with “arrogant people.” A student from Seaforth acutely summarised the default critique: “I have heard it is not an ideal university as it is where people go to show off their wealth” and “[is] marketed to people with a higher income/standard especially those attending private schools.”

Private school students primarily labelled USyd a ”prestigious” University. This label is contentious considering how many low-SES students criticised USyd for only servicing high-status students.

Statistically, USyd has above average numbers of high-SES students, whilst below average numbers of low-SES students. Dr Melissa Hardie, Associate Dean for the Faculty of Arts and Social Science, and Dr Kieryn McKay, Project Manager of LINK, argue that “[USyd] has historically been the preserve of an elite body of students, largely derived from private schools and Sydney’s selective schools.”

The rumors that USyd was a high-SES haven were verified in the 2008 Bradley Review. This federal investigation into higher education found that Group of Eight (Go8) universities such as USyd were under-representing low-SES, regional, and First Nations students. The Report recommended governmental intervention to raise

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the proportion of low-SES students by 20% for 2020.

Despite this, government funding for programs which enhance low-SES students’ participation in tertiary education such as LINK was reduced under the Abbott Liberal government in 2013.

Since the report, universities have only made slow improvements. In 2016, USyd’s student body was made up of only 7.36% of low-SES students and 7.15% of regional students.

The highest withdrawal rates are among First Nations students, mature age students, regional students and followed by low-SES students. It begs the question: why do the most underrepresented demographics drop out?

The Bradley Review admitted more research is required to explain why certain minority groups fail to complete their studies. One explanation may be the idea of “sociocultural incongruity,” where low-SES students are exposed to discourses and norms of tertiary education which are incongruous with what is familiar or comfortable.

In other words, when minorities mix with the blue-blooded culture on campus, they curdle.

Environmental factors do tend to favor high-SES students. Teachers often presume that conditions common to private and selective school students, such as supportive home environments and social well-being, also apply to low-SES students, and conduct their classes with these things in mind. In doing this, they rarely centralise minorities’ needs, as it can upset the majority and disrupt productivity.

Low-SES and high-SES students are also socialised differently. Both are subject to similar academic obstacles––NAPLAN, for example. However, financial advantage differentiates their scores. Through private tutoring, the purchasing of additional textbooks, quiet study spaces and shorter commutes to places of education, the high-SES student has a better chance at academic success. Studies have argued that although private school students are accustomed to privileging University over work, many low-SES students cannot and their performance suffers as a result.

High-SES students struggle to recognise that through the lens of a boy from Chifley, USyd is white and privileged.

There is a need for better retention programs, more funding for outreach programs and more volunteers willing to exit their bubble and assist programs like LINK. More must be done to erase cultures of class-based oppression.

“THE HIGHEST WITHDRAWAL RATES ARE AMONG FIRST NATIONS STUDENTS, MATURE AGE STUDENTS, REGIONAL STUDENTS AND FOLLOWED BY LOW-SES STUDENTS.”

CLASS STRATIFICATION IS EMBEDDED IN USYD'S DNA

“THROUGH PRIVATE TUTORING, THE PURCHASING OF ADDITIONAL TEXTBOOKS, QUIET STUDY SPACES AND SHORTER COMMUTES TO PLACES OF EDUCATION, THE HIGH-SES STUDENT HAS A BETTER CHANCE AT ACADEMIC SUCCESS.”

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COLOURED SHIELDS: RACISM IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOUR VIVIENNE GUO - WHITE PEOPLE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO MUST UN-LEARN RACISM, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT, NO MATTER HOW INGRAINED. Before getting into an article that puts racism under a microscope, I’d like to acknowledge that the writing and publication of this article took place on the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Sovereignty was never ceded, not in 1788 when the First Fleet began its violent conquest of this land, and certainly not now when this University has a building and statue dedicated to the coloniser William Charles Wentworth. This acknowledgement will mean nothing unless we make active efforts of decolonisation in our lives. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

It’s really hard to talk critically about racism in communities of colour. In some ways, it feels like a betrayal to suggest that we could be willing participants in our own oppression. However, if there is anything that I have learned since entering the political maelstrom of the University of Sydney (USyd), it is that people of colour are not as immune to perpetuating racism and white supremacy as we may think.

I have no shortage of childhood anecdotes that are fraught with innocuous racial prejudice. My parents are Chinese immigrants, and I was born here in Australia. I remember laughing when my white friends would jokingly pull at the corners of their eyes in exaggerated mimicry of my own. Sometimes I would copy them, much to their uproarious laughter. I thought that because they were my friends, they could not be racist or mean any harm by their remarks. I forgave them out of the pure virtue of friendship.

My own internalised whiteness became painfully and starkly apparent to me when I was asked for my Chinese name the other day and I came up completely empty-handed. I must have pondered it for hours, reaching desperately for three characters that should be as familiar to me as the lines of my hands. Like most forgotten memories, the more I tried to remember, the more it slipped away. The hatred that I had for my mother tongue as a child leaves a dark mark on everything I do, even now.

These stories of shame are just two of many that I keep stored away in the back of my mind. They reveal to me the two common misconceptions or ‘untruths’ that uphold the popular belief that ‘colour’ and racism are mutually exclusive.

First, that racism is the intentional discrimination based on a hateful prejudice against people of colour. The racism that I’ve encountered from childhood through to student politics has rarely been this simplistic. Racism is intrinsic to living in a Western world that places a post-racial blindfold over our eyes and tells us that we have multicultural harmony. We’re all familiar with the violent colonial narratives that have resulted in the world we live in.

Our biggest mistake is assuming that this history is not still being carried out. Racism on a micro-level comes out in forms of microaggressions and PAGE 4 8

stereotypes that are often deemed too unimportant to call out for what they are. Thus, these incarnations of racism survive.

Second, that the term ‘people of colour’ is inclusive and progressive.

Uses of the term ‘people of colour’ or PoC can render us as homogenous and erase the unique struggles faced by people of all different ethno-cultural backgrounds. This world is fractured immeasurably by race, not simply halved by polar opposites of whiteness and colour. My experience of racism is different to the person next to me. Additionally, this is not a term that was born in this country; it comes from the United States and brings with it a host of different racial politics, histories and traumas. We should be carefully examining our use of this term in Australia in the first place, as we should with all transplanted ideologies.

People of colour can and do uphold racist structures. There exists the presumptions that Chinese people are dishonest, that Latinx people are inherently associated with the drug trade, that Brown people are terrorists, that First Nations people are uncivilised. While we often think that these sentiments are reserved for our white oppressors, they absolutely are not.

I am the eldest daughter of Chinese immigrants, but I am not proud of the antiblackness that permeates my mother culture. East Asian beauty standards are notorious for their paleness; my limited cultural understanding of this is that historically, darker skin tones indicate more time spent outdoors doing peasant labour. I have had friends, also of East Asian background, jokingly call me Cambodian for my tanned complexion, a far cry from the snow white complexions that are plastered across the billboards of Guangzhou – my parents’ home city across the sea. So, whether I like it or not, there is a form of racial supremacy that has made my body its playground. Its covert presence manifests in colourism – prejudice against darker skin tones and the Trojan Horse of white supremacy in communities of colour. It is disguised as a gift, as a ploy to poison us from within. I have often felt like even my

“PEOPLE OF COLOUR ARE NOT AS IMMUNE TO PERPETUATING RACISM AND WHITE SUPREMACY AS WE MAY THINK.”

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body isn’t my own, that I can’t lay claim to the Chinese identity if I don’t fit comfortably into the form that it has designated for me.

When my father speaks, I have often noticed a certain green-eyed possessiveness tinge the air around us. His racial prejudice is not limited to anti-blackness; upon realising a bad driver is East Asian, he changes the tune of his argument: “New Chinese immigrants bring all their bad driving habits here and ruin our roads.” This is absolutely not something that you would expect coming from the mouth of a Chinese immigrant who has lived in this country for thirty-odd years. I tell him this. His reply is: “I’m different.

I’ve been here for 30 years and I have always respected the culture of this country.”

My father’s xenophobia leads me to wonder why certain immigrants are so spitefully hostile to others. I arrive at this hypothesis: though I come from a low socio-economic background, and my family communicate in a discordant mixture of Cantonese and English, we are a part of an immigrant class that possess a certain upward mobility into a white society. This upward mobility leads to the formation of an immigrant ‘underclass’, a group that is both different and worse-off than us. As an Asian-Australian, I find myself as part of a ‘model minority’, put on a pedestal by the West in order to keep other ‘inconvenient’ immigrants in line and subjugated. Our perceived position as ‘good immigrants’ is used to drive wedges between different communities of colour. Perhaps the reason that this model minority myth has been allowed to survive for so long is because of the untruth that engenders a homogenous ‘people of colour’.

“USES OF THE TERM ‘PEOPLE OF COLOUR’ OR POC CAN RENDER US AS HOMOGENOUS AND ERASE THE UNIQUE STRUGGLES FACED BY PEOPLE OF ALL DIFFERENT ETHNO-CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS.”

Let’s unpack this idea of a model minority. On first glance, many people have made a broad range of assumptions about me: that I am good at maths, excel in piano or violin, excel academically, and that one day I will be a doctor, lawyer, dentist, or prominent businessperson. As a woman, it is assumed that I am quiet, dutiful, and graceful. It is assumed that we keep our heads down, eyes averted and mouths shut. This is ideal for the prism structure of white supremacy that thrives off silence and uses it to create illusions of multiculturalism and harmony. Our perceived submission and assimilation into society is something that Western powers want to replicate in all minorities.

Don’t get me wrong, my experience as an Asian-Australian is not easy, especially at this University. Recent waves of Sinophobia on campus have made me feel terrified to live in my own skin. Several incidents come to mind: on the first day of this semester, a Chinese international student was assaulted on the stairs leading up to City Road. On the first day back from the mid-semester break, Asian students faced disgusting sinophobic slurs from a man outside the Wentworth Building. During campaigning for the SRC elections, presidential candidate Josie Jakovac was accused of verbally harassing a Chinese campaigner for speaking in Mandarin to another campaigner and upon realising her mistake, did not apologise for her hurtful presumptions. Despite these atrocious sinophobic incidents that have occurred too close to home and heart, my life has been far easier than many. This is because as a ‘model minority’, Asian-Australians have been deemed to contribute to society (through cultural avenues such as popular culture, cuisine, fashion) more than the aforementioned (implicitly non-white) immigrants that are assumed to “not work, commit crimes, and bring their war with them”.

“AS AN ASIAN-AUSTRALIAN, I FIND MYSELF AS PART OF A ‘MODEL MINORITY’, PUT ON A PEDESTAL BY THE WEST IN ORDER TO KEEP OTHER ‘INCONVENIENT’ IMMIGRANTS IN LINE AND SUBJUGATED... LET’S UNPACK THIS IDEA OF A MODEL MINORITY.”

My father’s possessiveness of Australia stems from a deep-seated colonial legacy which places white-tinted lenses over his eyes. Australia, like all other offshoots of European colonialism, has historically painted a grandiose portrait of itself as a golden land of exciting opportunity, multiculturalism and harmony. I am conflicted about the way that racism has rooted itself into the immigrant heart. On the one hand, my father views immigrants of any sort as a threat to this false golden land. On the other, despite his many flaws, my father has also often expressed his sorrow for the struggles of First Nations people in this country. And despite the way that Chinese culture is inextricably intertwined with the hegemonic white traditions of the West, I know that my father loves his motherland, and the centuries of tradition and culture that it is built upon. The internalisation of whiteness comes from a place I can understand; a place yearning to belong.

Before I first stepped foot into this University two years ago, the idea of internalised racism and where it comes from had seldom crossed my mind (a testament to my privilege in itself). For all its flaws – arguably because of them – this University opened my eyes to the intricate machinations of race in political arenas. Being politically active – especially during the recent 2019 SRC elections when the student body saw the conservative Liberal-backed brand Boost make a grab for the presidency – made me think long and hard about the way that race operates in conservative politics. I’m referring, in particular, to conversative political figures such as British Home Secretary Priti Patel. I name and shame her specifically because I was recently sent a video of Patel on Twitter where she promised to “end the free movement of people once and for all”. In her spiel condemning implicitly non-white migrants, she also ironically criticises the “North London metropolitan elite” whilst conveniently leaving out the fact that she was born in Islington and is still a part of the racist ruling class that she calls out. Patel also uses the fact that her parents are Ugandan-Indian immigrants to ward off any possible backlash of racist sentiment. She tells us: “this daughter of immigrants needs no lectures”. Her smug, smiling face fills the screen as she pauses, inviting applause from a very white audience that thrives off the British colonial legacy that has oppressed (and continues to oppress) the people of her motherland. Watching that video made me sick to my stomach.

If there is one takeaway from this article, let it be that racism isn’t a white thing. It’s an everyone thing. I have lost my own name in the name of assimilation. I have lost my mother tongue, I have lost the ability to love of my own culture. We are never going to be able to weed out racism if we can’t even confront it within ourselves, starting with the aforementioned untruths of racism. While the colour of our skin gives some of us a unique vantage point from which to examine race, in a grand twist of irony, it can also blind us to our own racial prejudices and internalised whiteness. As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, one who possesses certain privileges of access, safety, and ability, I am responsible for educating myself on the way that race shapes our lives in tandem with gender, class and other lines of intersectionality. To rework the words of the inimitable civil rights activist and writer Audre Lorde: ‘I am not free while any person is unfree, even when their shackles are very different from my own.’

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STUDENTS’ REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL LEGAL SERVICE

Did you know USyd students* can get FREE advice from our Migration Agent?

Ask the SRC Legal Service! *USyd undergraduates only. offers assistance to USyd postgraduate students *SUPRA offers assistance toSUPRA USyd postgraduate students

SRC Legal Service Level 1, Wentworth Building (G01), University of Sydney NSW 2006 PO Box 794 Broadway NSW 2007

p: 02 9660 5222 int: 12871 e: solicitor@src.usyd.edu.au w: srcusyd.net.au

/usydsrc @src_usyd

Follow the SRC on social media and go into the draw to

WIN a UE Wonderboom 2

Portable Bluetooth Speaker*

Connect with the SRC to keep up-to-date with student-run campaigns and events, important dates on the Sydney University calendar, and information about the services that the SRC offers to undergraduate students.

SCAN HERE > /usydsrc

@src_usyd

@SRCUsyd

*Three prizes of UE Wonderboom 2 speakers will be drawn on Friday 6th March 2020. Colours of pictured may not be available. To enter you must like, join or follow one of the SRC’s social media pages and submit your name and phone number at the SRC Welcome Week stall or at the SRC office during week 1.

Level 1, Wentworth Building, Univerity of Sydney | 02 9660 5222 | srcusyd.net.au S T U D EN T S’ R EP R E S EN TAT I V E C O U N C I L , U N I V ER S I T Y O F S Y D N E Y

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